Trafalgar House

Apex provided transport planning and highways advice to support a full planning application for the redevelopment of Trafalgar House, a prominent city centre site in Cardiff.

The proposals comprised the regeneration of an outdated office building to deliver a purpose built student residential scheme, contributing to the continued transformation of Cardiff city centre and the re use of existing commercial buildings for residential purposes.

We prepared a Transport Statement to support the planning application, focusing on servicing and delivery arrangements, parking provision and sustainable travel connectivity. The assessment also considered trip generation associated with the proposals, compared against the extant office use.

We provided input to the waste collection and delivery strategy, demonstrating that refuse and service vehicles could safely and efficiently serve the site without adverse impacts on the surrounding highway network. This included consideration and justification of vehicle stopping locations adjacent to the site and how these would be managed by the on-site team.

We advised on the design of the rear car parking area, ensuring that vehicles could park appropriately without adverse impacts on pedestrian movements, including for those with mobility impairments. New crossing points were designed to connect the site to the footway on the opposite side of the rear lane and these were agreed at planning stage.

Cycle parking provision and layout were a key focus of the assessment and required extensive liaison with the highway authority. The proposed arrangements were reviewed and refined to ensure that they were compliant with requirements, high quality, easily accessible, secure and well-integrated within the site layout, encouraging travel by this mode.

We demonstrated that the scheme would not have a material impact on the surrounding highway network and that no further mitigation would be required to accommodate the movements associated with the proposals.

A pre-application enquiry was submitted to West Sussex County Council as highway authority to agree the scope of transport work required and to ensure that site specific issues were identified and addressed at an early stage.

A Transport Statement was prepared to support the planning application, including assessment of sustainable connectivity, trip generation and transport impacts, alongside detailed consideration of parking provision and compliance with adopted standards.

We designed a new site access capable of safely accommodating HGV movements, supported by appropriate visibility splays. Our advice also helped shape the site masterplan, with careful consideration given to internal circulation, servicing arrangements and the interaction between HGVs, cars and pedestrians.

A Travel Plan was prepared to support the development, setting out measures to encourage sustainable travel choices by future occupiers of the site.

Following submission, we provided further technical input in response to comments from the highway authority, particularly in relation to car parking provision and the potential for overspill parking associated with HGVs. This additional assessment demonstrated that the proposals could be accommodated appropriately on the highway network and would not result in unacceptable highway safety impacts.

The support provided assisted the site in gaining planning permission in 2024.

The approved scheme supports the regeneration of a prominent city centre site, delivering new student accommodation supported by a robust servicing strategy, well considered parking and cycle provision, and improved connections to the surrounding sustainable travel network.