Dorset Council · Unitary authority
Transport Statements and Assessments in Dorset
What transport evidence a Dorset planning application needs, the parking standards that apply, and the policies an assessment should address.
Which document do you need?
National policy asks for a Transport Statement or a Transport Assessment wherever a development will generate significant amounts of movement.
Transport Statement
A shorter document for smaller schemes where transport issues are limited: access, parking, trips and sustainable travel.
Transport Assessment
A full assessment for larger schemes: trip generation, network impact, junction capacity and mitigation.
Parking standards
Dorset Council sets its parking standards in the document below. Use it for the car and cycle provision your scheme needs.
Source: Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset Residential Car Parking Study, Volume 1: Parking StandardsConfirmed as the current standard on 6 November 2026
Policies your assessment should address
The transport policies of the development plan documents in the summary panel. A neighbourhood plan, or a plan for one part of Dorset, may also apply to your site.
Purbeck Local Plan 2018-2034
- I1Developer contributions to deliver Purbeck's infrastructure
- I2Improving accessibility and transport
Christchurch and East Dorset Local Plan Part 1 - Core Strategy
- KS1Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development
- KS9Transport Strategy
- KS11Transport and Development
- KS12Parking Provision
North Dorset Local Plan Part 1
- 1Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development
- 13Grey Infrastructure
- 23Parking
This page summarises adopted policy and links to the source documents. It is not legal advice: always confirm a figure against the adopted document before relying on it.