By John Challen

Launched at the end of 2025, the Connectivity Tool created by the Department for Transport (DfT) has provided the English and Welsh planning system with a significant boost for sustainable development. Described by the Government as a ‘landmark platform’, the tool has been tasked with creating a single national metric of ‘connectivity’, using transport and land-use data to generate a score for each 100m2 of land in the country.

Assessing the ability of people to reach shops, schools, jobs, healthcare and leisure, the tool has not only been made available to built environment professionals and transport planners, but also the general public, allowing everyone to see how well their home is connected compared to other parts of the country.

As well as helping people better understand their transport options, the tool helps a range practitioners, communities and local authorities understand where growth could be located most sustainably and how transport investment could improve connectivity.

Evidence source

What is important for transport professionals is to ensure they can use the tool to its full potential. Built environment and transport professionals have the ability to create hypothetical scenarios such as new bus routes and rail stops, and test the impact this would have on a location’s connectivity score to feed into development and infrastructure plans.

Currently, the tool is being used for a variety of purposes, such as working on planning applications and site allocations, with a range of benefits being reported. The tool provides an additional source of evidence to support transport analysis and decision-making, said the DfT. In particular, users have found it useful for informing initial site assessments, saving time and providing insights that can complement other analytical approaches or tools.

Getting the best results

While the Connectivity Scores generated by the tool provide a certain level of detail, exploring the scores across the different modes and destinations offered by the tool can generate several different insights for users on the different types of connectivity in any one location. It’s important that the Connectivity Tool is used as part of a wider evidence base and not in isolation, the DfT stated. The best results come from using it in conjunction with local knowledge and context.

Supporting guidance on the Connectivity Matrix and Interpreting Connectivity Scores will help users understand what the connectivity scores mean in context, with this extra information having a positive impact on many users. Feedback suggests that some users have gained greater confidence in interpreting and applying Connectivity Tool outputs following the release of supporting guidance and the connectivity matrix, said the DfT. Users have particularly welcomed the additional context these resources provide, helping them to better understand scores.

Future functionality

According to the DfT, the long-term goal of the Connectivity Tool will be to give plan-makers and decision-takers a consistent, transparent and evidence-based way of understanding connectivity across England and Wales. It stated: We want it to support better planning for transport, infrastructure and growth, while improving access to opportunities and supporting decarbonisation.

The future looks bright for the Connectivity Tool, with the DfT saying that initial feedback suggests increasing adoption and engagement. Many users have also expressed interest in future enhancements and additional functionality, said the DfT. This highlights the value they see in the tool and its continued development, and they are currently looking to develop new functionality that would enable users to understand the impact of new land uses and active travel initiatives on connectivity scores.

• Book your place for the September 7 CIHT webinar with the DfT on creating more sustainable communities here.

• To access the DfT Connectivity Tool, click here.

• For more guidance on how to interpret connectivity scores, click here.