Comment

Parking Standards for New Developments Draft (Nov 2022)

Representation ID: 15986

Received: 08/11/2022

Respondent: Mr Alan Bryan

Representation Summary:

Current residential parking specification is grossly inadequate.
A family of 4 mostly has 4 cars
Do not include garages in parking space count
Residents are unlikely to take the bus instead of using cars
Include at least one motorbike & 4 pedal bikes in each homes provision
No secure provision for bikes if residents cycle to shops
Provide at least 2 electric car charging points per property with provision to expand easily.

Full text:

Regarding the parking provisions currently being applied it is obvious that they are grossly inadequate. A family property housing at least four people needs parking spaces for 4 cars, not the two that are currently being specified for each property. Also, don’t count the garage as one or two spaces because most people don’t park their cars in the garage because it’s too full up storing the things that there’s no room for in the house. Developers do not provide sufficient storage space indoors either.

Few residents will leave their cars at home & take the bus. Likewise they won’t cycle either. How does one carry a flat screen TV home from the shop on a bike? Or a weeks worth of grocery shopping for a family of four? It’s different if one is popping down to the Co Op for a newspaper or a magazine. Families will have pedal bikes so there should be sufficient secure space in a domestic garage to store them. Also, it’s reasonable to assume that someone buying a new home will possibly have at least one motorcycle to store which requires provision of a secure space for that to be essential.

If you want residents to cycle to the shops then provide somewhere secure for them to leave their bikes when they get there.

With the take up of electric cars continuing to gather pace it is essential that sufficient provision of electric charging points are available so that is at least two charging points per household with the provision to add more if required easily available.