A User-Centred Overhaul for a Growing Sustainable Travel Community
In 2025, Colchester City Council appointed KAT Marketing to redevelop the website for the Colchester Travel Plan Club (CTPC), a long-standing network focused on promoting sustainable and active travel across the city.
The brief called for a complete reimagining of the existing site to create a modern, engaging and practical platform that would better support businesses, community partners and residents.
The aim was to shift from a static, information-heavy site to an intuitive, behaviour-changing resource that inspires sustainable transport choices and empowers organisations to take meaningful action.
Designing for Inclusivity, Clarity and Seamless User Journeys
KAT Marketing worked in close collaboration with the Sustainability and Transport Team to map out a clear, accessible and inclusive digital framework.
Our strategy centred around understanding the varied user groups who engage with CTPC and designing an experience that supported each of them. We prioritised WCAG 2.2 compliance, clear language principles and navigation simplicity.
Content strategy focused on practical resources, visually signposted tools and dynamic features that encourage exploration without overwhelming the user.
This foundation allowed the new site to function as both an everyday reference hub and a strategic communications tool for the council.
A Flexible, Member-Focused Platform Built for Long-Term Use
The redeveloped website was built on a customised, lightweight WordPress framework, avoiding restrictive builders to ensure speed, sustainability and ease of updating.
Key features included an interactive events calendar, integrated travel tools, embedded links to the TravelEssex app and a clearly structured resource library. A new member portal with tiered access provided added value to Full and Associate CTPC members, offering exclusive guidance, materials and case studies.
To support ongoing site management, KAT Marketing produced a comprehensive user guide and delivered hands-on training to ensure CCC staff could confidently update content, manage members and publish new initiatives. Stakeholder consultations and prototype testing ensured that final outputs genuinely reflected user needs.
We really enjoyed working with KAT, they've been really friendly, really professional. We had a very tight time frame and they managed to turn it around within that. I definitely recommend working with them again and if we have any other projects we'll be in touch.
Jade Brown
Travel Plan Coordinator
A Low-Carbon, High-Impact Website Strengthening Sustainable Travel in Colchester
The relaunched CTPC website has significantly improved usability, engagement and accessibility for all audience groups. Its streamlined structure, responsive design and lightweight codebase support fast-loading speeds and reduced emissions, aligning with the council’s environmental goals.
The enhanced member-only area provides clear added value for participating organisations, while interactive tools and events features strengthen public engagement with sustainable travel initiatives.
The collaborative development process ensured strong stakeholder buy-in, resulting in a digital hub that not only informs and inspires but also reinforces Colchester’s commitment to cleaner and greener transport choices.
