Swindon Borough Council · Unitary authority
Transport Statements and Assessments in Swindon
What transport evidence a Swindon 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
The standards Swindon Borough Council applies, taken from the source document below and checked against it row by row.
| Use | Area and size | Car parking | Minimum car parking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail | Sector 1, Food Retail (GFA < 800sqm) | – | No Minimum |
| Retail | Sectors 2, 3 and 4, Food Retail (GFA < 800sqm) | – | 1/35sqm |
| Retail | Sector 1, Food Retail (GFA > 800sqm) | Assess on Merit | – |
| Retail | Sectors 2, 3 and 4, Food Retail (GFA > 800sqm) | – | 1/18sqm |
| Retail | Sector 1, Non-Food Retail (GFA < 1,000sqm) | – | No Minimum |
| Retail | Sectors 2, 3 and 4, Non-Food Retail (GFA < 1,000sqm) | – | 1/35sqm |
| Retail | Sector 1, Non-Food Retail (GFA > 1,000sqm) | Assess on Merit | – |
| Retail | Sectors 2, 3 and 4, Non-Food Retail (GFA > 1,000sqm) | – | 1/22sqm |
| Business | Sector 1 | – | No Minimum |
| Business | Sectors 2, 3 and 4 | – | 1/30sqm |
| Cinemas and Conference Facilities | Sector 1 | Assess on Merit | – |
| Cinemas and Conference Facilities | Sectors 2, 3 and 4 | – | 1 per 5 seats |
| Clinic, Health Centres & Surgeries | Sector 1 | Assess on Merit | – |
| Clinic, Health Centres & Surgeries | Sectors 2, 3 and 4 | – | 1 per consulting room |
| Financial and Professional Services | Sector 1 | – | No Minimum |
| Financial and Professional Services | Sectors 2, 3 and 4 | – | 1/30sqm |
| General Industrial | Sector 1 | Assess on Merit | – |
| General Industrial | Sectors 2, 3 and 4 | – | 1/50sqm |
| HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupancy) | Other Sectors, 10 occupants | – | 5 |
| HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupancy) | Sector 1, 10 occupants | – | 3 |
| HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupancy) | Other Sectors, 11 occupants | – | 6 |
| HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupancy) | Sector 1, 11 occupants | – | 3 |
| HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupancy) | Other Sectors, 12 occupants | – | 6 |
| HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupancy) | Sector 1, 12 occupants | – | 3 |
| HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupancy) | 13+ occupants | Assess on Merit | – |
| HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupancy) | Other Sectors, 6 occupants | – | 3 |
| HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupancy) | Sector 1, 6 occupants | – | 1 |
| HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupancy) | Other Sectors, 7 occupants | – | 4 |
| HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupancy) | Sector 1, 7 occupants | – | 1 |
| HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupancy) | Other Sectors, 8 occupants | – | 4 |
| HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupancy) | Sector 1, 8 occupants | – | 2 |
| HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupancy) | Other Sectors, 9 occupants | – | 5 |
| HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupancy) | Sector 1, 9 occupants | – | 2 |
| Use | Area and size | Cycle parking |
|---|---|---|
| Dwelling houses and flats | Dwelling houses and flats (1-2 bedrooms) | 1 space per unit |
| Dwelling houses and flats | Dwelling houses and flats (3+ bedrooms) | 2 spaces per dwelling |
| Retail | 4 spaces plus 2 spaces for every 500m2 above 1,000m2 (GFA) |
Source: Parking Standards for New DevelopmentFigures checked against the published document on 27 October 2026Selected tables: the source document has the full standards
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 Swindon, may also apply to your site.
Swindon Borough Local Plan 2026
- SD1Sustainable Development Principles
- SD2The Sustainable Development Strategy
- TR1Sustainable Transport Networks
- TR2Transport and Development
- IN1Infrastructure Provision
- EN7Pollution
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.