Regulators and planning authorities are responsible for setting policies and planning conditions. Requiring compliance with CLOCS will help eliminate risks associated with construction vehicle activity and the threat to vulnerable road users that construction activity creates.
Increasingly, policy-makers are urging their communities to make journeys on foot or bike to reduce congestion, address obesity and cut down emissions, and are also working to accommodate population growth by building more homes, schools, offices, and other infrastructure.
A consistent and collaborative approach to construction logistics planning is vital if construction activity is to be conducted safely with minimal risk to vulnerable road users and reduced impact on local communities.
Local planning authorities can manage this risk and benefit their communities by joining CLOCS and specifying compliance with the CLOCS Standard and the development of a Construction Logistics Plan as planning conditions from the outset.
Adopting and implementing CLOCS will help:
- manage the impact of construction vehicle activity and the associated risk, protecting vulnerable road users within communities
- reduce congestion and associated environmental impacts through smarter logistics planning
- reduce complaints from those affected by construction traffic and boost local community satisfaction by providing safer streets for all
- reduce workloads, save resources and provide consistency in construction logistics planning
Camden is proud to continue in our long-standing role as a CLOCS Champion. The CLOCS framework combined with our rigorous compliance checking process on both internal and private construction sites is helping us to contribute towards the key priorities of TfL’s Vision Zero target as outlined in the Mayor’s Transport Strategy, which is supported by the Camden Transport Strategy.
— Maxim Lyne, Principal Transport Planner, London Borough of Camden
Becoming a CLOCS Champion provides:
- a construction road safety standard already adopted by many of the UK’s largest clients, developers, contractors and fleet operators
- access to vital resources and support including guides, templates, case studies and training
- being part of an ever-growing community of like-minded organisations with access to member meetings, working groups and online safety forums
Adopting and implementing CLOCS
The CLOCS Standard defines the primary requirements placed upon the key stakeholders associated with a construction project and places responsibilities and duties on the regulator/planning authority, the client, the principal contractor controlling the construction site and the supply chain including the operators of any road-going vehicles servicing that project.
The CLOCS Standard outlines specific requirements for a regulator as follows:
- embed the requirement to operate to the CLOCS Standard into policy and guidance documents
- ensure the planning process requires submission and approval of an outline and/or detailed Construction Logistics Plan (CLP) that addresses the main transport impact/risks in delivering the project safely before consent is granted
- require a project to have effective CLOCS implementation monitoring mechanisms and to provide to the authority (if requested) CLOCS compliance performance data
- have in place effective enforcement mechanisms to secure prompt action by the project team should a breach occur
Useful resources
Anyone new to CLOCS should take a look at the getting started page for guidance on how best to adopt and implement CLOCS within their operations.
A number of resources are available on the Getting CLOCS into planning page to support regulators in their adoption and implementation of the CLOCS Standard. These include the ‘CLOCS Guide: How to embed CLOCS into the planning process to improve community safety’, and the ‘Royal Town Planning Instutute’s CLOCS Advice Note’.
Additionally, CLOCS Champion Regulators are invited to join a CLOCS Regulator Working Group made up of peers and colleagues from across the planning authority community to develop a closer relationship with CLOCS, helping drive strategy and standards, and access knowledge, insights and expertise from others in the same role facing the same challenges.
Our residents and businesses are experiencing sustained negative health, environmental and highways impacts that have spanned several decades in specific parts of the borough. Holding CLOCS Champion status, collaborating in the CLOCS Regulator group and requiring the CLOCS Standard in our policies and logistics planning submissions from developers is all contributing to a safer experience for all road and footway users in the borough.
— Michèle Young, Development Coordination Manager, London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Joining the CLOCS community
If you are ready to join the CLOCS community, your first step is to register to become a CLOCS Champion.
There is normally an annual CLOCS Champion membership fee but this can be waived for regulators able to fully adopt and implement the CLOCS requirements. If you think this is you, please contact the CLOCS team to discuss.
All Champions are party to a Memorandum of Understanding which should be reviewed to understand the commitment and engagement expected.
Case studies
Development Coordination at Tower Hamlets Council
Tower Hamlets has some of the densest and fastest growing areas in the country. In 2021, the Development Coordination team at Tower Hamlets Council was set up to work with developers, colleagues and residents across the borough to reduce the impacts from construction and to promote community safety around construction sites.
Read moreCamden Council: CLOCS as a planning requirement
In January 2014, Camden implemented a WRRR policy for contractors using large vehicles and in January 2015, extended this to apply to construction sites in the borough by including CLOCS terms as a S106 planning requirement.
Read moreLondon Borough of Croydon and CLOCS
CLOCS is working in the London Borough of Croydon. Within its designated Growth Zone, LB Croydon has had no construction-related KSIs since 2017.
Read more
