The Challenge
Westminster City Council sought specialist support to develop a robust Evidence Base for its Sustainable Transport Strategy and ensure the emerging Strategy aligned with best practice in climate resilience, sustainable mobility, and liveability. The Council required an expert partner to analyse a wide range of environmental, transport and climate‑related datasets, and to act as a critical friend, providing constructive, challenge-led feedback prior to public consultation.
The Solution
NRP led the production of the Strategy’s Evidence Base, undertaking detailed analysis across multiple climate and transport-related themes. This included:
- Climate resilience assessments, analysing current and future flood risk, heat vulnerability, and tree canopy coverage.
- Evaluating access to sustainable transport, active travel opportunities, and public transport connectivity.
- Mapping SuDS, open space proximity, and environmental quality indicators.
- Identifying the carbon reduction pathway required for Westminster’s transport system to achieve Net Zero, including quantifying reductions in CO₂ emissions.
Alongside technical analysis, NRP reviewed the first draft of the Strategy, providing structured recommendations to strengthen clarity, evidence alignment, and policy impact. This included proposing an additional Action within the Climate Change section to reinforce links between sustainabletransport initiatives, urban greening interventions, climate resilience priorities, and neighbourhood liveability outcomes.
The Results
- A comprehensive, data-led Evidence Base that directly informed policy direction and underpinned Westminster’s Sustainable Transport Strategy.
- Clearer integration of climate resilience and sustainable transport, ensuring the Strategy reflected the full breadth of environmental challenges and opportunities across the City.
- Enhanced strategic coherence, with new policy actions introduced to strengthen connections between mobility, greening, resilience and public realm liveability.
- A strategy better positioned for public consultation, backed by robust evidence and shaped through constructive challenge and expert independent review
Client:
Westminster City CouncilLocation:
Westminster, LondonSector:
Government and Public SectorServices:
Transport Planning