The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) published an update to PPG13 Transport on 3 January 2011. The associated DCLG press release titled “Pickles and Hammond to end the war on motorists” heralded the scrapping of guidance on parking space limits for new homes and higher parking charges.
PPG13 sets out the objectives to integrate planning and transport at the national, strategic and local level and to promote more sustainable transport choices both for carrying people and for moving freight. The DCLG website states that the update to PPG13, last published in 2001, reflects changes to parking standards and charges and that amendments have been made to paragraphs 49 to 56 only.
The changes primarily include deletions of previous text. A limited amount of new text has been added.
The aim to reduce the amount of parking in new development as part of a package to promote sustainable travel choices (in old paragraph 49) is deleted. Also deleted is the statement that the amount of good quality cycle parking in developments should be increased to promote more cycle use.
The statement that car parking charges should also be used to encourage the use of alternative modes is deleted (from old paragraph 57) along with the statement that the Regional Transport Strategy should set the context for parking controls and charges by each local authority.
As previously, policies on parking should be coordinated with parking controls and charging but with the addition that the parking controls and charging should be “proportionate”. Local authorities should continue to set out appropriate levels and charges for parking which do not undermine the vitality of town centres. The statement that controls over public parking (both on-street parking and in car parks) need to be backed up by adequate enforcement measures is deleted. New text states that parking enforcement should be “proportionate”.
The references to the application of “maximum” parking standards are generally removed. The references are retained (in new paragraphs 52 and 53) but these paragraphs, along with Annex D which sets out Maximum Parking Standards for certain classes of development (excluding residential), are only to remain extant until individual local planning authorities prepare local maximum parking standards as part of their Local Development Framework. This change was set out in PPS4 Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth published in December 2009. Maximum parking standards are still referred to (in new paragraph 55) which also contains a reference to PPG6, a document which was replaced by PPS4.
The statement that “there should be no minimum standards for development, other than parking for disabled people” is also deleted.
The text in paragraphs 12 to 17 relating to housing development is deleted. The deleted text related to PPG3, a document that was superseded by PPS3 Housing in 2006.
A key change includes the change of emphasis away from restricting car parking provision for new development and towards providing greater flexibility for local planning authorities to determine parking requirements. Other key changes are the removal of the policy that parking charges should be used to encourage the use of alternative modes of transport and that parking controls and charging should be proportionate, as should parking enforcement.
Other than these changes the overall thrust of the majority of PPG13 is arguably unchanged. The new PPG13 appears to be moving away from the policy of applying maximum parking standards for new development although references to maximum standards are not completely removed from the revised text. The 2009 document PPS4, which relates to PPG13, refers to maximum parking standards and so the position on maximum standards is arguably confused.
PPG13 does not set out residential parking standards. Indeed, as far as we are aware, there are no national parking standards for residential development. The claim in the press notice that national restrictions on limits on parking for new residential development have been removed is therefore questionable.
The updated PPG13 contains a number of inconsistencies and has the feel of a rushed or poorly checked document. It may be a “stop-gap” document. Planning Minister Greg Clark has recently announced a review of planning policy designed to consolidate policy statements, circulars and guidance documents into a single consolidated National Planning Policy Framework. The new framework will be localist in its approach and the Minister has invited suggestions on priorities and policies to be included until 28 February 2011.