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People who live in new build estates could find it harder to park their cars under new guidance issued by a government agency.
Homes England’s 146-page ‘Parking What Works Where’ guide wants to ‘reduce the amount of land lost to poorly organised’ parking and to free up space for more homes.
It suggests to developers that walking and cycling should be ‘made easy’ to reduce the need for vehicles.
Under its ‘golden rules’ for all locations, it says to ‘get streets right’ first and that they ‘should not be dominated by car parking’.
Instead, it pushes for more shared parking spaces, stating: ‘Unallocated car parking is the most efficient, as it helps balance the needs of households with different levels of car ownership.
‘If a car parking bay is no longer needed for an occupant, someone else can use it, which is best delivered by taking some car parking bays off plot.’
The guide aims to ‘create compact places that support an increased housing density, lessen the car parking demand and use land efficiently’.
However, it warns ‘there’s a risk of car parking congestion or residents being unable to park their cars close to their homes if spaces are full’ and ‘can lead to difficulties in managing the allocation of spaces if demand exceeds supply’.
Homes England’s 146-page ‘Parking What Works Where’ guide wants to ‘reduce the amount of land lost to poorly organised’ parking and to free up space for more homes
Under its ‘golden rules’ for all locations, it says to ‘get streets right’ first and that they ‘should not be dominated by car parking’ (Pictured: a view along Goldsmith Street, Norwich)
Campaigners from watchdog group the Alliance of British Drivers (ABD) fear it is part of a wider plan to take the ‘car out of existence for practical use’.
Ian Taylor, a director at the ABD, told the Daily Mail: ‘Once again this is part of a wider move to restrict parking availability. The less parking there is, especially at people’s homes, the more difficult and expensive it is to run a motor.
‘You take away the parking space, you take away the journey.’
He added: ‘The regulations are constantly changing and the number of parking spaces they are expected to provide is becoming less and less, sometimes none at all.
‘It’s the government answer to everything: get them [cars] off the road, or at least drastically reduce the numbers.’
The guidance suggests using a mix of parking and what suits the density of the development, including communal bays, on-street parking, shared spaces, garages, and a ‘car barn’.
It adds that cycle storage and visitor cycle parking provision should be universal.
Homes England said: ‘We want parking to be provided in a way that uses land more efficiently, while helping to create streets that are safer, more attractive, and better places to live.
‘Our second edition guidance supports a more flexible approach that encourages a mix of parking types and layouts, helping to make best use of available space while ensuring residents can still park conveniently close to their homes.’
It comes after recent analysis of data from 5,000 London residential developments approved since 2016 showed that parking provisions have fallen by 75 per cent in that time.
Today, just one parking space is being built for every six new apartments, and one in five developments have no car parking provision at all.
