28th April 1999
Extract from the section:
Parking
53.
Parking provision has a major influence on road traffic; cars have to be parked at or near their destination. Research reported in Transport: the way forward concluded that halving the number of parking spaces in cities could produce a significant reduction in road traffic.[38] Witnesses were keen to see a reduction in parking provision at new developments, particularly at out-of-town centres, to ensure that more people used public transport and other alternatives to reach them. Some schemes have been very successful; there is no car park at the National Trust's Prior Park, near Bath, but it still managed to attract 50,000 visitors between July 1996 and November 1998.[39]
54.
However, because the provision of car parking is such a powerful tool, there was concern that failure to provide adequate parking at new developments in some city centres could affect the economic vitality of those centres and boost rival out-of-town centres. Different car parking provision standards would be appropriate at different locations, taking into account both the need to reduce traffic and the need to secure economic regeneration.
Implementation
55.
As important as revising PPG13 is ensuring that whatever guidance is in place is effectively implemented. This has not occurred. The existing guidance encourages regional parking strategies, but "there is little evidence that this has happened". Examples of recent developments where planning guidance has been ignored included the 'Gatwick Experience' and the Crystal Palace development. A recent survey of major planning applications in the Greater London area has revealed that over 93 schemes were in the pipeline with a total parking provision of over 120,000 new spaces. In the North West "contrary to Government policy, over 30 large employment sites in the region are being promoted on greenfield land, away from urban areas, while over 60 square kilometres of urban land lie derelict and in need of regeneration". Witnesses stressed that the Government should call in local planning matters where the decision was likely to undermine the aims of PPG 13 and the Transport White Paper. Moreover, the planning decisions of Government Departments themselves should not be, as they had been too often in the past, contrary to PPG13.[4()]
[Ed. This is a very large document and makes a good policy case while stressing the need to follow the policies! - the full text can be found via the DETR web site.]
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Last updated: 8/4/99