More parking for new homes will end ‘vicious cycle of clogged up streets’

27 Aug 2014 10:48 AM

Eric Pickles calls for new housing developments to be built with more parking spaces. 

Local Government Secretary, Eric Pickles called on councils to ensure more parking spaces are provided alongside new homes to end a ‘vicious cycle’ where clogged up streets leave motorists to run a gauntlet of congestion, unfair fines and restrictions.

The government is proposing further action is taken to rein back in arbitrary ‘maximum parking standards’, which have previously prevented and restricted house builders from providing homes with car parking spaces that families want and need.

Where sufficient parking spaces are not provided people will resort to either tarmacking over their front garden or parking on the street. This can then result in a counter-productive increase in municipal on-street parking restrictions and fines.

The Secretary of State was clear that new developments should be built with sufficient parking that reflects local market demand.

Eric Pickles, said:

Families want a home with space for children to play in the garden and somewhere to park and load the car or cars. The consequences of not building this are there for all to see: more cars left on the curb, more cars parked in the streets, more municipal parking restrictions and more parking tickets.

No space at home leaves no space on the road. We need to cease this vicious cycle that leaves our streets endlessly clogged up. Allowing the market to offer enough parking spaces will help take the pressure off our congested roads.

Further information

The department has published new planning guidance for consultation, which seeks councils support to improve the quality and quantity of parking as part of the government’s long-term economic plan.

Ministers put an end to previous Whitehall planning policy that encouraged councils to hike car parking charges. In a new consultation, they now want to see what else can be done to ensure house builders can provide adequate on-street parking in new developments.

These steps build on previous reforms to tackle other over-zealous parking policies including introducing grace periods and making it illegal to use CCTV ‘spy cars’ alone to enforce on-street parking and introducing reviews of yellow lines for on-street parking.

See more details on the consultation.

The government is not making any changes to minimum parking standards, which ensure that new housing is built with at least a basic provision of parking. However, maximum parking standards are frequently used by councils to prevent sufficient parking needed and wanted by families.