DfT clarifies Connectivity Tool guidance ahead of new NPPF and planning reforms

The Department for Transport (DfT) released a trial version of its newly developed Connectivity Tool to local planning and highway authorities on 26 June 2025.  The tool provides access to scores that DfT have calculated for “how well every place in England and Wales is connected to health services, education, shopping, leisure and workplaces by all different modes of transport”.

On 11 December 2025, the Connectivity Tool was made available to built environment professionals in the private sector and a Connectivity Tool Lite was made available to the wider public. When announcing this to Parliament the then Transport Secretary said, “this landmark platform will serve as the new national metric of connectivity, transforming how we plan for new development and the transport infrastructure needed to support it”.

When the consultation draft of the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) appeared on 15 December 2025, it included key plan making (TR1) and national decision making (TR3) polices in Section 15: Promoting Sustainable Transport requiring the use of the Connectivity Tool when determining whether a location for proposed development is sustainable in transport terms.

Since the Connectivity Tool and the Connectivity Tool Lite were released connectivity scores have been used by applicants when promoting proposed developments, and by LPA, HA, and interested parties when resisting proposed developments. Although DfT published guidance when releasing both versions, one year on they have acknowledged that there has been significant uncertainty amongst practitioners on how to use the connectivity scores. There is evidence that this is undermining its use in decision making.

In one recent Appeal (6004910 - Land west of the Cemetery, London Road, Maldon, Essex CM9 6LJ), the Inspector found neither the appellant’s nor the council’s interpretation of the connectivity score helpful, preferring to base his judgement on an objective assessment of the site rather than a comparison with other land in the district. In another Appeal (6002485 - Land south of Longsight Road, Langho), the Inspector questioned the benefit of comparing a sites connectivity to that of other locations across England and Wales but did note that the site performed reasonably well in connectivity terms for a site in a rural area.

To help users, and no doubt cognisant that publication of the New NPPF is imminent, the DfT have recently published updated guidance on the use of the Connectivity Tool. It reminds users that a connectivity score is a relative measure, not an absolute measure of connectivity, and that a score of 50 does not mean a location has average connectivity (the overall average score is in fact 66.8 according to DfT).

In addition to these reminders DfT has published the Connectivity Matrix which is “a set of tables that help users judge whether a square’s connectivity score is high or low for its destination type, transport mode, and how urban or rural the square is”. This allows users to compare a site with other sites in similar contexts, rather than comparing it with all places nationally, which makes more sense as highlighted by the Inspector in the Land South of Longsight Road Appeal.

Although this updated guidance makes it clearer on the application and interpretation of connectivity scores, it also makes it clear that “the [connectivity] score should be used alongside local evidence, site knowledge and professional judgement”.

This is where Rovia comes in, we have spent years successfully making and defending judgements on the sustainability of proposed development sites from a transport perspective, including at Appeal. If you would like our help in this regard, please contact get in contact with the team.