New Construction / NOR / V6 /
04 - Transport
Information correct as of 26thJuly 2025. Please see kb.breeam.com for the latest compliance information.
Accessibility Index used to award credits - KBCN1078
Points awarded for Sustainable transport measures: Option 1 must be based on the existing Accessibility Index for the development site.
Improvements to the availability of transport services implemented by the project team may be recognised under Option 2.
AI calculation – changes to public transport services during the assessment - KBCN1527
The AI is calculated as part of the design stage transport analysis and its value relates to the site location and to informing transport-related design decisions. This must be based on current information, including any planned and publicly-notified changes at the time the transport assessment is carried out. This should be used as the AI benchmark for the assessment.
Where later, unforeseen changes to public transport availability are implemented before post-construction certification, the AI benchmark should not be updated at post-construction stage.
Assessments should not be disadvantaged by, or benefit from such changes.
Amenities – Assessed building is one of the listed amenities - KBCN0264
Where the assessed building is itself included in the list of amenities, that particular amenity criterion can be deemed to be met, e.g. a supermarket development itself meets the proximity to food outlet required for a Retail type building.
Amenities – Enhanced amenities duplicating existing amenities - KBCN1406
Following feedback, BRE accepts that it is unreasonable to expect assessors to determine whether a new amenity is significantly different to all existing amenities in the vicinity. Furthermore, the introduction of any new compliant amenity may increase choice in terms of the amenity itself and its location relative to other facilities and transport nodes. It cannot, therefore, be reasonably argued that this cannot meet the aim of this transport measure, in reducing the need for local car journeys.
New (enhanced) amenities may, therefore, be considered on their own merits, without reference to existing amenities.
Approach updated for all assessments 16/09/2021
Previous guidance for reference only:
Where an amenity is already present within the prescribed distance, a new amenity falling under the same category cannot be considered as an enhanced amenity, unless it provides a significantly different offering to the existing one. So, for example, if there was an existing fast food outlet and the development provided a new fast food outlet, this could not be considered, whereas a new grocery store or restaurant may be considered.
Note: This is applicable where the development itself could be considered an enhanced amenity, in line with KBCN0264
Assessors must use their discretion and justify the decision in their assessment report.
Amenities – Pharmacy within a hospital or health centre - KBCN0321
To meet the requirements of 'Over the counter services associated with a pharmacy', a dispensary within a health centre or hospital can be considered as meeting the intent, provided it is publicly accessible and also offers the type of over-the-counter services associated with a stand-alone pharmacy, such as non-prescription medication and health products.
Note: This is a change to the approach outlined in the previous KBCN wording, therefore, for assessments registered before this update, where it can be demonstrated that the the assessor has advised the project team based on the previous wording, this can be accepted:
Superseded guidance:
A publicly accessible pharmacy would typically be required in order to constitute a suitable amenity. If it can be confirmed that an internal pharmacy (in Northern Ireland this may also include an onsite controlled medical dispensary) will provide prescribed medicines for building users, this is acceptable.
18 June 2025 - Title updated and wording amended to clarify the intent. Applied to NC V6 standards.
Amenities – Provided as part of a masterplan - KBCN1432
Where a masterplan scheme, undertaken by the same developer, includes a number of compliant amenities for Tra02, subject to meeting the criteria, these can be considered as 'new amenities' (rather than existing) for building level assessments on the site.
A mixed-use masterplan supports the use of local amenities, without the need to travel by car. The ‘existing amenities’ criteria relate more to site selection.
Amenities – Sandwich van as a food outlet - KBCN0557
A food truck/ mobile catering service would not be sufficient to meet the criteria for this issue.
The aim of this Issue is to assess the location of the built asset relative to amenities.
Amenities – Vending machine as a food outlet - KBCN0653
A vending machine can be considered as a food outlet if a range of items, as can be reasonably expected, are for sale to meet the needs of the building users and it is confirmed to be a permanent fixture.
Applicable amenities for different building types - KBCN1269
The guidance for Healthcare buildings does not identify childcare facilities or a school as an applicable amenity. Where these can be demonstrated to be of benefit to the occupants of the assessed healthcare building (staff), this amenity can be considered as applicable.
Likewise, if it can be demonstrated that an amenity, not applicable to a particular building type, would provide a tangible benefit to the occupants of the assessed building, please submit details and justification to BREEAM for review.
Car sharing – calculation of priority spaces - KBCN0282
The calculation of priority spaces for car sharers should account only for the car parking capacity that is dedicated to the staff working in the building, without considering the spaces for customers or visitors.
As such, car sharing spaces should be clearly segregated from customer/visitor parking areas.
06/09/2023 - Title only updated to align with naming protocol
23/03/2017 note added clarifying requirement for segregation
Car sharing group - KBCN1510
The term, ‘car sharing group’, as a sustainable transport measure, may be interpreted differently. For the purposes of the BREEAM Standards, therefore, the following additional guidance should be applied, to support assessors’ understanding of the criteria, when determining compliance.
Aim:
The aim of this measure is that the asset’s management establishes, promotes and administers a process which encourages building users to share private car journeys to and from work, thus reducing the number of cars used for this purpose.
Principles:
A car sharing group will, generally:
- Be available to all building users who normally travel to work by private car
A car sharing group is not:
- A vehicle hire/loan scheme
- Intended to offset journeys which would otherwise have been made by public transport or active travel modes (e.g. walking or cycling)
The criteria do not prescribe what terms and conditions should be implemented and, whilst the above principles should generally be followed, specific arrangements may vary.
However, evidence and justification must always be provided to demonstrate that the above ‘Aim’ is met.
Community transport schemes in rural areas - KBCN1082
In rural areas, where scheduled public services may be limited, community transport schemes, including 'on-demand services', should be noted in the 'Transport assessment and travel plan', however unscheduled services cannot be accounted for when calculating the AI.
The provision of new a community transport scheme may be recognised under 'Sustainable transport measures' as a 'dedicated service', provided that:
- It serves a rural area
- It is available to all potential users
- The service is established at the time of the assessment being submitted
- The service is of an appropriate scale for the community it serves
Cycle spaces – Minimum and maximum requirements - KBCN0637
These remain applicable where the 50% reduction allowed for building locations with a high level of public transport accessibility is in effect.
This means that, for instance, a large retail will still need to provide at least ten customer cycle storage spaces and could meet compliance with a maximum of fifty.
22-Nov-2023 Scheme applicability updated.
18-May-2017 Previous KBCN on large retail adapted to include any minimum requirement for cycle storage spaces.
Cycle spaces – Compliant types of storage - KBCN0257
Due to the number of different types of cycle storage facility available and the variation in site conditions, BREEAM New Construction is less prescriptive about the dimensions and type of cycle parking which can be used to demonstrate compliance. The Assessor is expected to exercise their professional judgement to determine whether the cycle parking spaces meet the aims of the Issue and the requirements listed in the compliance notes.
BREEAM is used to certify buildings, not products. Cycle parking systems cannot, therefore, be considered inherently 'BREEAM compliant'. These must be assessed in context with reference to their location and the intended user profile.
29/01/2024-made applicable to HQM
Cycle spaces – Folding bicycles and scooters - KBCN00024
The provision of cycle storage that is only suitable for folding bicycles or scooters is not compliant.
Providing reduced storage space for folding bicycles or scooters in place of compliant cycle storage may limit future travel options.
14 03 2018 Wording clarified and reference to scooters included.
Cycle spaces – Large retail - KBCN0528
For large retail developments that provide at least 50 customer cycle storage spaces, this meets the requirement for customer spaces. The requirement of one cycling space every 10 staff needs to be met in addition to this.
Cycle spaces – Maximum number of stadium visitors - KBCN0323
To calculate the required provision, the sliding scale of compliance should be used for the staff and up to 5000 stadium visitors.
Cycle spaces – Prominent location - KBCN00053
The requirement to provide cycle storage facilities in a prominent location on site, within view of building users, is intended to encourage use through advertising their presence to building users. Providing these facilities inside the assessed building, such as in the basement, may be compliant so long as there is prominent signage to indicate their location to all building users.
Cycle spaces – Provision for regular, large visitor numbers - KBCN0546
Where there are large numbers of visitors on a regular basis, provision of cycle storage for visitors should be based on the maximum number at any given time.
This is to ensure that at peak times enough cycle storage is provided.
Cycle spaces – Similar buildings assessments - KBCN0570
Where cycle storage and/or facilities are provided for individual units, a site-wide approach cannot be used to include all units. If, however, these are a shared facility, provided in a suitably-located communal area, this may be acceptable.
When assessing using the 'similar buildings' approach, each of the similar buildings has to be assessed separately and credits have to be awarded, based on the worst performing building.
14 03 2018 Clarified to account for suitable shared facilities
Cycle spaces – Small retail – multiple units - KBCN0187
In a development of multiple small retail units, to achieve credit, 10 compliant cycle storage spaces in total are required where it can be shown that these are accessible to all units. However, where such developments consist of multiple units over a large area or are separated by barriers such as roads, the assessor should ensure that the provision is both adequate and conveniently located for all units.
The 50% reduction allowed for building locations with a high level of public transport accessibility is not applicable in this case.
17/11/2016 Note related to the 50% reduction added.
14/03/2018 Note added regarding multiple units over a large area or separated by barriers.
Cycle spaces – Timing of installation in phased projects - KBCN00015
Where cycle storage cannot be installed at construction stage, due to phasing and / or pending demolition works, compliance may still be demonstrated provided:
- Clarification and justification is given for why the storage is not currently available.
- A written contractual agreement is in place to provide BREEAM compliant storage within a clear timescale.
- Alternative storage is provided in the meantime that allow bikes to be easily stored and removed, with the ability to be locked securely against a fixed structure.
The methodology above applies to cycle storage only, and cannot be applied to provision of cyclist facilities (such as showers and lockers) which must be assessed as normal.
This is to allow flexibility within the project programme for the installation of the final, permanent BREEAM-compliant cycle storage whilst still ensuring adequate cycle storage is available during the construction phase.
Cycle spaces and facilities – Rounding calculations - KBCN0445
The calculation for the required cycle spaces and facilities must always be rounded up. If the calculation works out as 5.3 cycle spaces, 6 cycle spaces must be provided.
To determine the requirements for developments with multiple types of building user, calculate the requirement for each user group separately (rounding up to the determine the number of spaces) and then add the number of cycle spaces for each user group together.
04/10/2018 Wording amended to clarify the correct calculation method for developments with multiple user groups.
Cycle storage – new spaces in the public domain - KBCN1410
Where it is not possible to locate short-term visitor/customer cycle storage spaces within the assessment boundary, these may be provided in a suitable and convenient location within the public realm.
The assessor must be satisfied that there is legal agreement and a long-term commitment to the provision of the spaces.
All relevant criteria must be met, however, where justified, the requirement for overhead covering can be waived.
BREEAM accepts that for cycle storage spaces within the public realm, there may be restrictions on the ability to provide overhead covering.
Cyclists’ facilities – Adequately sized lockers - KBCN0961
The requirement for adequately sized lockers is so that cyclists have a dedicated space to store their cycling equipment and clothes. It is not compliant for the space requirement to be met by providing two or more inadequately-sized lockers for each cyclist.
Requiring cyclists to separate their equipment into different lockers/storage spaces could create a barrier to uptake of commuting by bicycle.
Cyclists’ facilities – Combining different facilities - KBCN0683
Cyclists' facilities can be combined, provided that all relevant compliance requirements are met and it is demonstrated that there is no conflict impacting on their use. For example, compliant showers can be combined with compliant lockers in one room, subject to the principle below.
For combined facilities to count as multiple facilities, they must be capable of being used independently of each other at the same time (where relevant) with reference to any space requirements, access, gender and privacy issues.
11 Jan 2023 - Applicability to BIU V6C confirmed
10 Feb 2022 - Updated to clarify that facilities can be combined where there is no conflict.
Cyclists’ facilities – Matching additional cycle spaces - KBCN00093
The minimum number of showers/lockers/changing facilities required for BREEAM compliance is determined by the minimum number of compliant bicycle spaces required, not by how many total compliant bicycle spaces have been provided. Where more than the minimum number of compliant cycle spaces has been provided, there is no requirement to provide more than the minimum number of showers/lockers/changing facilities.
01 Feb 2022 - Wording clarified and applicability to BIU V6C confirmed
Cyclists’ facilities – Multi-residential / residential institutions - KBCN0967
Where there is a BREEAM requirement for residents, compliant facilities within their accommodation can be considered as cyclists' facilities. Separate facilities for staff must be provided as required to achieve compliance.
22 Aug 2023 Applicability to BIU V6 Commercial confirmed.
Cyclists’ facilities – Provision of only one shower - KBCN0566
Where only one shower is provided, this needs to cater for users of both genders.
For a changing facility to count as an additional amenity, it must be capable of being used independently of any showers, otherwise it could not be considered as two facilities.
A shower which is a mixed gender facility must be capable of being used privately. As such, it requires adequate private changing space associated with it.
Amended to provide further clarification and to add the general principle.
10/11/2016
Cyclists’ facilities – Shell only/shell & core assessments - KBCN0882
Cycle parking must be provided as part of the base-build for all assessment types.
Where compliance is sought for additional cyclists’ facilities, the developer should provide all aspects of the installation which fall within the scope of their work and facilitate the future completion of any aspects which do not.
For shell & core assessments, if additional facilities, such as showers and drying space, are not provided in core areas and internal walls are not provided to tenanted areas, these must be indicated on design drawings and all relevant services provided. This would include capped-off supplies and electrical points as necessary in order to facilitate the completion of the compliant facilities by the tenant.
Where internal walls are within scope, a compliant changing area must be provided, however for lockers, compliance can be achieved by providing a design drawing showing that there is an adequately sized and suitably located space for the required number of compliant lockers.
The developer should do as much as they can, within the scope of their work, to facilitate the future installation of compliant facilities and should not do anything which would make future installation more onerous.
01 Oct 2024 - Addition paragraph added to clarify the approach for changing areas and lockers.
25 May 2018 - Wording amended to clarify the intent.
Cyclists’ facilities – Visitors - KBCN00014
Where the cycle spaces requirement is based on the number of staff plus visitors, customers or patients, the number of cyclist facilities required to demonstrate compliance is based on the number of cycle spaces for staff only.
Visitors, customers or patients would not be expected to have access to showers and lockers within a building.
Cyclists’ facilities – Within toilet facilities - KBCN00050
To comply with the criteria for cyclist facilities, showers should not obstruct the use of other facilities. Where a shower is located in a room with a WC, this cannot be considered compliant, unless it can be unequivocally demonstrated that the WC is provided over-and-above the requirements of relevant standards or regulations for general and disabled WCs.
To ensure that there is no conflict between the use of general or disabled WCs and the use of cyclist facilities.
25.10.18 KBCN reworded to improve clarity.
Default occupancy rates by building type - KBCN1496
The values given in the table, 'Default occupancy rates by building type' are sourced from the Activity Database of Simplified Building Energy Model (SBEM). For certain building types, the occupancy rates produced may be unrealistic. In such cases, the assessor should refer to: 'Methodology > Number of building occupants unknown'.
Demand-based bus services in AI calculation - KBCN1338
Demand-based bus services operated by public transport providers can be included in the calculation of the Accessibility Index. The project team will need to determine an average number of stops per hour to allow input into the AI tool.
Education – Different age ranges and/or non-acute SEN - KBCN0224
For a combined school campus the number of cycle storage spaces and compliant facilities will need to be calculated individually for each user-group of the building; e.g. the number of facilities for nursery schools, primary schools and secondary schools should be calculated as per the criteria defined for each of these education types and totalled.
Where this includes non-acute SEN facilities and the unusual structure of the classes prevents standard assessment, the assessor should use their judgement to determine whether to apply the pre-school criteria or base on the total number of staff and students.
While within the scoring and reporting tool the dominant education building type category will be selected, calculations need to be provided as supporting evidence, with the assessor's comments/notes used to clarify the calculation used to demonstrate compliance.
14 03 2018 - clarified and key information incorporated from KBCN0424
Electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS) – Priority spaces - KBCN1429
The current criteria for EVCS do not address provision for priority spaces, such as those allocated to disabled use and car sharing.
The assessor and design team should, therefore, take a pragmatic approach to this and, where the overall number of required EVCS permits, an appropriate proportion of these should be provided for priority spaces. This will not be deemed as 'double-counting' as the number of EVCS required should be considered independently of other requirements.
The intent is that electric vehicle charging spaces are available to all building users (where possible).
Electric vehicle charging stations – Availability - KBCN1128
This option requires the number of electric vehicle recharging stations (EVCS) to be based on a percentage of the total car parking for the building.
To meet compliance, the intent is that recharging stations be available to all building users, including customers and visitors. However, where overall parking numbers are low, it may be difficult to effectively distribute the EV charging spaces between general users and priority groups.
In such cases, the design team must provide evidence that this aspect has been considered when locating the EV spaces, however, the decision on how to distribute these may be made by the client or, for speculative development, by an appropriate member of the design team.
In situations where parking is limited to priority spaces only, the above guidance still applies.
11 Jan 2023 - Applicability to BIU V6C confirmed
17 Sep 2022 - Updated to allow more flexibility in relation to how EV spaces are allocated
Electric vehicle charging stations – shell & core assessments - KBCN1247
For BREEAM NC shell only/shell & core, RFO Parts 1 and 2 only and partially-fitted residential assessments, compliance can be demonstrated by installing all the necessary infrastructure, (i.e. capacity in the connection to the local electricity distribution network and distribution board, as well as sub-surface ductwork to receive cabling to parking spaces), to enable the simple installation and activation of charging points at a future date.
18/10/2021 Applicability to BREEAM Scheme and Assessment Type clarified, in line with the intent.
15/11/2019 Incorrect reference to pre-installation of 'cabling' removed.
Electric vehicle charging stations – Short-term visitor spaces - KBCN1735
Where it can be demonstrated that parking spaces for visitors will only be used for short-term parking (a maximum of 15 minutes), these spaces can be excluded from the calculation for EV spaces.
This exclusion will typically apply to certain types of retail outlet, where visitors are, for example, collecting or dropping off orders. However, other situations can be considered, where justified.
Existing travel plan - KBCN1068
If an up to date organisational travel plan, that is BREEAM compliant, exists for a site on which an assessed building is located, it can be used to meet the relevant criteria. All building users (in existing and new buildings) and additional travel resulting from users of the new building need to be taken into account.
Future transport nodes - KBCN0966
Where a transport node is currently inactive but will become active soon after project completion, it can be included when calculating the existing AI.
To demonstrate this, confirmation of the start of service date and service frequency from the appropriate public transport authority or company will be required.
No data for AI at Design Stage - KBCN0551
If there is insufficient data for a future transport service to include this in the calculation of the AI at the Design Stage, it should not be accounted for.
If at Post Construction stage the data is available, this can be incorporated.
Whilst certain Design Stage requirements can be based on commitments to achieve a certain performance, this must be based on verifiable data.
16/04/18 Wording amended to clarify that this applies to future services and to allow applicability to UK NC 2018
Occupancy calculation – Buildings with shift patterns - KBCN0431
In buildings with shift patterns, as shifts may overlap, the building users calculation should be based on the maximum occupancy of the building at any given time.
Occupancy rates – 24-hours consulting or treatment rooms - KBCN1258
The default occupancy rate for 24-hour consulting or treatment areas in hospitals and care homes is 0.07.
Published pending reissue of the technical manual UKNC2014/REISSUE UKNC2018/REISSUE
03.11.2021 Issue 2.0 of the UK RFO technical manual amended.
On-demand public bus services - KBCN1404
These can be recognised as follows:
- The location of the transport node should be determined as the nearest available pick-up point to the assessed building
- The frequency of the service should be considered as the published maximum wait time (or actual average wait time, if the service is established and this data is available)
- Such services, whilst they may serve multiple destinations, should be considered as a single route
- It must be demonstrated that information on the availability and how to access the service is made available to building users
This is limited to genuine on-demand bus services, which are operated as public transport with multiple pick-up and drop-off points and does not extend to private hire, taxi or other similar operations.
Park and Ride Schemes - KBCN0754
'Park and ride' bus services run from one or more car parks to a city centre or other destination to allow travellers to park their car at a convenient location and complete their journey by bus. These generally stop at transport nodes en route to allow passengers to board or alight.
Provided the service meets the aim of the Issue with reference to the guidance, they can be considered for this Issue in the same way as any other bus service.
Public transport information system – requirements - KBCN1244
This transport measure requires the provision of a ‘system’, installed in a suitable location, which displays up-to-date information on local public transport systems. This could include a ‘real time’ display or other innovative system which allows building users to plan their travel on a daily basis, based on current transport information.
The provision of paper timetables or a notice board cannot be considered compliant for this transport measure.
Solutions which rely on smartphone ownership cannot be considered compliant. Whilst smartphone use is widespread, it is not universal, therefore such solutions cannot be considered as meeting the needs of all potential building users.
1st Sep 2023 - Note added regarding smartphone-based solutions.
5th March 2021 - Wording updated to clarify the intent.
Safe pedestrian routes: definition, measurement and verification - KBCN0238
Definition
Safe pedestrian routes include pavements and safe crossing points, which may be controlled or, for example, be identified by tactile paving, a crossing island or a dropped kerb. An element of judgement may be required, in which case justification should be provided.
Measurement
Distances could be measured, for example, along a pavement, across a road at a safe crossing point and along the pavement on the other side. The distance should not be measured diagonally across a road, following the most direct route.
Evidence from Google Maps or other digital sources may be used to indicate routes and distances, provided that the scale is appropriate and clearly indicated.
Verification
The assessor’s site inspection is an important aspect of the assessment of this issue as it must confirm that all relevant information is current and should include photographs of any key areas. This may also help to identify safe crossing points or hazards which may not be apparent from a desktop study.
For BREEAM NC and RFO assessments, Google Streetview may be acceptable as evidence to demonstrate safe pedestrian routes and the presence of key features or amenities at Design Stage only. Such information must be verified as above for Final Certification.
07 Mar 2024 - No changes have been made. This appears as 'updated' due to an administrative error.
11 Jan 2024 - Wording re-structured for clarity
19 Dec 2023 - Applicability to BIU V6 confirmed
Sustainable transport measures – Shell only and shell & core assessments - KBCN1181
Assessment option 3 “Public transport information system”
A public transport information system may not be in the scope of works for a shell only or shell & core assessment.
In such cases, this measure is not available, however points can be achieved through demonstrating compliance with alternative options in this issue.
If it does fall within the scope of works, this measure is still available.
Assessment option 4 “Electric Vehicle recharging stations”
For shell only and shell & core assessments it is permissible to demonstrate compliance through provision of all necessary infrastructure required for future installation of compliant electric recharging stations.
BREEAM recognises that full installation of recharging terminals may be outside the scope of shell only and shell & core stages.
Assessment option 5 “Car Sharing”
For speculative shell only and shell & core assessments, measures 5.7 and 5.8 might not be achievable. Where this is demonstrated and justified, the one point available for this option can be achieved through compliance with measures 5.9 & 5.10 only.
Where the building occupier is not known, project teams are unable to influence the implementation phase of a car sharing scheme.
26/06/2020 Note relating to Option 3 - wording amended to clarify the intent.
Transport assessments and transport statements - KBCN1367
For many projects, a Transport Assessment or Transport Statement will be required for planning purposes. Where this is the case, this information can be used to demonstrate compliance with the requirement to undertake a site-specific transport/travel assessment. Where a Transport Assessment or Transport Statement is not specifically required for planning purposes, a site-specific transport/travel assessment must be completed that covers points a to g in criterion 2. In such instances, it is permissible for the results of this assessment to be reported within the travel plan rather than in a separate report. The applicable information must be clearly identifiable within the travel plan document, and the travel plan must clearly demonstrate how the transport/travel assessment has been used to inform the plan’s strategy.
Information correct as of 26thJuly 2025. Please see kb.breeam.com for the latest compliance information.