How To

Check the local planning authority's validation checklist — most publish one online. If it lists swept path analysis as a requirement for applications involving vehicle access, it is required. If unsure, submit a pre-application enquiry to the LPA or contact the local highway authority directly. It is always cheaper to find out before submission than to receive a validation failure or highway objection afterwards.

Provide the current site layout as a DWG CAD file and specify which vehicles need checking and what manoeuvres must be demonstrated. State the site address and local planning authority so the correct standards are applied. The more specific your brief, the faster and more accurate the results. A good brief takes 10 minutes to write and prevents misunderstandings that cause delays.

First, identify exactly where the failure is and by how much the swept path encroaches. Often the fix is targeted — widening a turning area by 500mm, relocating a kerb line by 300mm, or adjusting an access junction radius. Rerun the analysis on the modified layout to confirm the fix works before making wider design changes. Many swept path failures are resolved with small, localised geometry changes.

Contact a specialist SPA bureau with your CAD file and brief as far in advance of the deadline as possible. Many bureaux offer 48-hour turnaround as standard with a 24-hour rush option. Provide all the information in one submission — back-and-forth queries about vehicle types, manoeuvres, or missing drawings add delay. If the deadline is imminent, ask about same-day urgent turnaround — it typically costs an additional fee but is available.

The design vehicle for residential swept path analysis is almost always the refuse collection vehicle operated by the local authority's waste collection service. Contact the council's waste services team or check their specification. Most UK councils use a 10-metre or 11-metre rigid RCV. The fire engine specification should be confirmed with the local fire and rescue service. Using the wrong vehicle is the most common source of swept path rework.

Ensure the layout drawing is to scale and includes all relevant features — kerb lines, road edges, building outlines, boundary walls, gate posts, and any street furniture. Export it as a DWG file if possible, or as a georeferenced PDF at a stated scale. Remove any unnecessary layers that obscure the road layout — a clean, legible drawing produces faster and more accurate results.

Batch the analysis — provide all required drawings at once rather than in pieces. Standardise the design wherever possible so the same analysis covers multiple similar areas. Use a bureau service with fixed pricing rather than a consultancy that charges by the hour. Pre-application feasibility checking at concept stage prevents expensive rework on the formal submission.

Email your CAD file, a brief specifying vehicle types and manoeuvres, the site address, and any specific highway authority requirements. A bureau service can complete the analysis and return PDF and DWG drawings within 24–48 hours without any in-person contact. The entire process is digital and location-independent.

The two outer boundary lines of the swept path show the maximum width the vehicle occupies during the manoeuvre. Any obstacle outside those lines is safe. Any obstacle between or inside those lines is in conflict with the vehicle. The clearance dimensions shown on the drawing confirm how much space exists between the swept path and nearby obstacles. If the dimension is shown and it is positive, the vehicle clears the obstacle.

Use the parking bay dimensions specified in the local highway authority's design guide — these are derived from swept path analysis and will be correct if followed. Check the aisle width against the guide requirements for the parking angle used. If the layout uses standard dimensions, it will almost certainly pass. Non-standard layouts or constrained sites should always be swept path checked before submission.

In AutoTURN, navigate to the vehicle library and filter by country (UK) and vehicle type (refuse vehicle, fire appliance, HGV, car). Select the vehicle that most closely matches the specification required by the local highway authority. If the authority has specified a particular vehicle, confirm its exact dimensions and find the matching model in the library. Document the vehicle selected and its source in the drawing annotation.

Position the design vehicle at the entry to the hammerhead. Drive it forward until it reaches the T-junction of the hammerhead. Reverse into one arm. Drive forward and exit. Show the complete three-point turn sequence on the drawing, including the vehicle positions at each reversal point. Confirm that the tyres and vehicle body remain within the paved turning area throughout.

Show the fire engine approaching the building from the access road and reaching the nearest hard standing point within 45 metres of the building. Demonstrate the swept path of the fire engine as it approaches and positions adjacent to the building. If the building requires aerial platform access, use the longer aerial platform vehicle and confirm it can position clear of overhead obstacles at the building side.

Check each dock individually — confirm that a lorry can enter the yard, approach each dock in reverse, align with the dock, and exit safely. Then check that multiple lorries can operate simultaneously without conflicting. The most critical check is typically lorries entering while another is reversing to the dock — the swept paths must not overlap.

At an A road junction, show left turn in, left turn out, and right turn out as a minimum. Right turns across traffic are typically the most critical — the turning vehicle must complete the manoeuvre within the road width without encroaching on the opposing carriageway or the nearside kerb. The swept path of the design HGV on a right turn out typically governs the junction geometry.

Position the refuse vehicle entering the mews in a forward direction. Show it navigating to the turning head, completing the turning manoeuvre, and returning to the entry in a forward direction. If the mews is too narrow for the RCV to turn, demonstrate the shortest acceptable reversing manoeuvre and confirm the reversing distance is within the authority's limit.

Angled bays typically require narrower aisle widths than perpendicular bays because the turning angle is reduced. Position a car in a bay and show it reversing out and straightening in the aisle. The swept path of the reversing car must remain within the aisle width without conflicting with vehicles in adjacent bays. The design car's swept path determines the minimum aisle width for the specific bay angle.

Use a specialist bureau service with fixed pricing rather than a full transport consultancy. Bureau services charge per drawing rather than by the hour — typically £250–500 per standard analysis. Compare two or three providers on price, turnaround time, and whether they have experience with the relevant planning authority. The cheapest option is not always the fastest — balance cost against turnaround for your deadline.

Append the swept path drawings as supporting technical drawings to the DAS. In the access section of the DAS, reference the drawings and summarise the key findings — which vehicles were checked, that they can access all required areas, and that the results have been reviewed. Do not reproduce all the detail of the drawings within the DAS text — reference and append them.

Obtain the updated CAD file of the revised layout. Rerun the swept path analysis from scratch on the new layout rather than trying to modify the existing results — layout changes affect the entire swept path, not just the area immediately near the change. Issue a new drawing with an updated revision letter and a revision note stating what changed. Replace all previous versions in the planning submission.

Commission it before you need it. Pre-application swept path checking during design development identifies problems when they are cheap to fix. Submit the swept path drawings as part of the planning application rather than in response to an LPA query. Pre-application advice meetings with the highway authority allow vehicle requirements to be agreed in advance.

First, confirm the exact vehicle specification — length, width, axle configuration, and turning circle. Find the vehicle model in AutoTURN or AutoTrack, or build a custom model from the specification data. Rerun the analysis with the requested vehicle. If the vehicle is significantly larger than your original design vehicle, the layout may fail and redesign will be necessary.

Survey the lane geometry — widths, bend radii, and any obstructions — and create or obtain a CAD plan of the relevant section. Check the swept path of the design vehicle through each constrained section. If the lane is a public highway, check whether the standard requires the vehicles to pass each other or simply use the lane as a one-way route with passing places.

Position a 12-metre coach entering the school from the public road. Drive it through the site access, along the internal road, and to the set-down area. Show it manoeuvring to the correct position for passengers to board, and then exiting. The set-down area must be large enough for the coach to pull in, stop, and pull out without needing to reverse onto the public road.

Obtain the abnormal load vehicle dimensions from the delivery or transport company. Build a custom vehicle model in AutoTURN using those dimensions. Identify the critical sections of the route — tight junctions, bends, and narrow sections. Check each critical section individually. The results inform whether the route is feasible, whether road furniture needs to be temporarily removed, and whether waiting bays are needed for police escort vehicles.

A bus layover or turning point must accommodate the bus entering, stopping, and turning to exit. Position a standard bus at the layover. Show it manoeuvring within the turning area — either a forward turn into a dedicated turning circle or a three-point turn. The turning area dimensions must accommodate the full swept path of the bus without the tyres leaving the paved surface.

Tell them it is a drawing that proves their vehicles can actually use the access they have designed. Ask them to imagine watching a delivery lorry trying to enter their new site — if the driver cannot complete the turn without mounting a kerb, the site does not work. The swept path analysis is the evidence that the access works, done in software before spending money on construction.

Position the recycling vehicle at the collection point and show it accessing the bins, completing the collection, and exiting. Recycling vehicles are often similar in size to refuse vehicles but may have different operational requirements — side loading, top loading, or cable lift. Confirm the vehicle type and its operational reach before carrying out the analysis.

At a residential corner, the swept path of the design vehicle must remain within the carriageway. If the vehicle needs to use the full width of the road at a corner, check that there is no conflict with opposing traffic. If the road is wide enough for only one direction of travel at the corner, the analysis must show that the road design accommodates this — either with a one-way system or with geometric improvements.

The swept path analysis determines the minimum dimensions of the turning head rather than starting from standard dimensions. Position the design vehicle at the entry to the turning head. Complete the turning manoeuvre using the minimum space. The extent of the swept path defines the minimum size of the turning head. Standard dimensions from design guides are based on this swept path methodology.

Electric vehicle charging bays require the same swept path checks as standard parking bays, plus the additional requirement that the vehicle can position close enough to the charging point for the cable to reach. Confirm that the cable length is adequate for the parking bay dimensions and that vehicles can access the bay and the charging point without conflict.

As a planning consultant, your role is to confirm that the drawing shows what the highway authority is asking to see — the right vehicle, the right manoeuvres, adequate clearances, and legible annotations. You do not need to produce the drawing, but you need to read it critically. Check that the vehicle matches the highway authority's requirements and that the clearances shown are clearly positive.

Append the swept path drawings to the transport statement as a technical appendix. In the main text of the transport statement, describe the swept path methodology, the design vehicle selected and the reason for that choice, the manoeuvres demonstrated, and the conclusion that the access is safe and suitable. Reference the drawing numbers in the text. The drawings are the evidence; the text is the explanation.

The approach is the same as for a public road, but the acceptance criteria may differ. A private road does not need to meet adoptable road standards. However, it must still accommodate the required vehicles safely. Check the swept path of all required vehicles — refuse, fire, and private cars at minimum — through the private road layout, including at any junctions with the public highway.

On a straight access road, the critical swept path checks are at the entry and exit junction with the public highway, at any horizontal bends along the route, and at the turning area at the far end. The straight sections between these features are not typically constraints — it is the changes in direction that generate swept path problems. Focus the analysis effort on the junction and turning area geometry.

Start by confirming whether the conflict is genuine — often the fire service wants a turning area that also satisfies the refuse vehicle requirement, and there is more overlap than it appears. If there is a genuine conflict, engage both parties in a pre-application meeting and present the swept path evidence. Usually one requirement can be designed around the other with careful layout work.

Identify all the vehicle types for each use within the development. A mixed residential and commercial development may need refuse vehicles for both uses, delivery lorries for the commercial use, fire engines, and coaches or minibuses for any community uses. Carry out separate swept path checks for each vehicle type through the areas they will use. Confirm that no vehicle route creates a conflict with another.

Position the articulated lorry at the approach to the dock. Reverse the trailer into position at the dock entrance. Show the progressive positions of both the tractor and trailer during the reversing manoeuvre. Confirm that the trailer aligns with the dock correctly without the tractor overhanging the boundary. This is a multi-step demonstration — typically six to eight vehicle positions are shown along the reversing path.

Check the route from the nearest suitable road to the coach parking area, including any turns. At the coach parking area, show coaches entering individual bays and reversing out. Confirm that the aisle width between coach bays is adequate for coaches to manoeuvre simultaneously. Check the exit route from the coach park separately. Coach parks at sports facilities are often used by multiple coaches simultaneously during events.

For a Section 38 or Section 278 highway agreement submission, the swept path drawings must meet the highway authority's technical approval standards. This typically means the drawings must be signed and dated by the responsible engineer, carry a professional certification, include a title block with project details, and be produced at an agreed scale. Confirm the authority's technical approval requirements before starting the analysis.