Decision details

To consider a report of the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport seeking approval and adoption of a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) setting out new parking standards for the city outside of the City Centre Area. 

The purpose of this SPD is to provide more detail on implementing specific policies in the council’s Core Strategy, particularly Policy CS19 (Car and Cycle Parking), during the determination of planning applications for residential and non-residential developments

The document’s key content includes:

• Maximum parking provision standards for motor vehicles
• Minimum parking provision standards for cycles
• Design requirements and guidance for motor vehicle and cycle parking
• Transport assessment and Travel Plan thresholds

The parking standards in this document supersede those set out in the Local Plan Review (2006) for the city outside the City Centre Area.

Whilst parking standards for non-residential developments are largely unchanged, residential development parking standards are significantly changed from the previous standards. The design requirements and recommendations are also mostly new and have been updated to reflect recent developments and national guidance.

To approve and adopt the Parking Standards Supplementary Planning Document.

1. These Parking Standards provide the City and developers with updated and more flexible/ appropriate parking standards.
2. These parking standards will help SCC to ensure that new developments do not create unsustainable demand for on-street parking and the attendant problems this brings.
3. We have stated in our LDF Core Strategy that we will develop updated parking standards as part of that policy framework.

Continue to use existing parking standards. This option has been rejected as it would:

(i)  mean SCC would persist with Parking Standards that do not reflect recent changes to national policy which afford more flexibility to Local Authorities to set their own maximum parking standards. The Local Plan (Review) Parking Standards date back to 2006;

(ii)  mean SCC would persist with Parking Standards that may not allow developers to provide an adequate amount of parking for some developments, meaning that future development could place an unacceptable strain on parking supply in some areas, with the attendant issues this would bring; and

(iii)  mean SCC would persist with Parking Standards that do not incorporate recommendations on many basic items (eg minimum garage and bay sizes) as well as not featuring guidance on more recent developments such as permeable surfacing, Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS), electric vehicle charging provision, and accessible design (e.g. home zones and shared surfaces).