4.8 20-minute neighbourhoods

The SCC Local Transport Plan (LTP4) has introduced the concept of the 20-minute neighbourhood [Reference 10]. The aim is to create thriving local neighbourhoods by ensuring that everyone can access, without a car, services and opportunities within 20-minutes, reducing the need to travel by car and making sustainable modes the preferred choice for most journeys.

Ultimately, this is about creating happy, liveable places where people spend less time and money on travelling and more on enjoying the place they live. 20-minute neighbourhoods will have well defined, thriving town and village centres providing a range of service opportunities, with safe, attractive and convenient routes to get there.

The creation of liveable, 20-minute neighbourhoods, with well-defined and thriving town and village centres, brings a wide range of benefits, including:

• Reduced vehicular traffic and associated emissions;
• Equity of access to services and opportunities, not just those with access to a car;
• Reinvigorated town centres and local economies; and
• Improved quality of life and convenience for residents.

Good connectivity and permeability are key to achieving this for both new and existing neighbourhoods, and new developments can play an important role in expanding the range and quantity of amenities and services available locally. As such, the design principles set out in this guide will encourage the creation of 20-minute neighbourhoods.

Further guidance on the 20-minute neighbourhood concept can be found in the following documents:

• SCC (2021) Fourth Local Transport Plan (Draft for consultation); and
• Town and Country Planning Association (2021) 20-Minute Neighbourhoods – Creating Healthier, Active, Prosperous Communities: An Introduction for Council Planners in England.

References

• Reference 10: Surrey County Council (2021) Fourth Local Transport Plan (Draft for consultation) (Return to content for reference 10).