Parking and Accessibility Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) consultation (stage three)

Background

We originally set out parking and accessibility requirements in a guidance document when assessing planning applications. During the creation of the County Durham Plan, the planning inspector recommended that this guidance be reviewed and set out more formally as an SPD to support Policy 21 (Delivering Sustainable Transport) of the Plan.

What the document covers

The SPD sets out what types and amounts of parking a developer should provide at new developments (including residential, retail, employment, and leisure). This includes:

• general parking
• electric vehicles
• cycle parking
• disabled parking
• motorcycle parking

Making sure there is enough parking for a broad range of transport types will improve access for all and encourage the use of sustainable modes of transport.

Key proposed changes to the document in this consultation

Following the previous rounds of consultation, we have:

• amended the residential parking standards to:

• aligned the SPD more to the standards being used in Northumberland - the inclusion of garages as counting towards a parking space reflects feedback from housing developers in the previous consultations
• added text stating that we may consider removing permitted development rights, to control the future loss of garages to conversions for other uses, on a case by case basis
• made a change to reflect a proposed change to our Highway Design Guide that residential estate roads on sites under 100 homes should be a minimum width of 5.5 metres
• added a requirement that all new homes should have an electric vehicle (EV) charging point (minimum 7 kW) in accordance with part S of the building regulations
• updated public transport accessibility text in the residential guidance, which had been previously removed
• added new text to reflect the opportunity to reduce car parking at commercial developments that already have good walking and cycling links, which will work with our Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) which are under development
• amended short and long stay cycle parking guidance to reflect the guidance set out in DfT's Local Transport Note 1/20
• updated guidance to say that every destination car park should have an inclusive/accessible EV charging point and bay
• amended the SPD to reflect that 25% of all parking bays on non-residential sites should have some level of EV provision, whether that be passive (wiring ready for future use) or active
• changed the SPD to be guidance (rather than standards) which allows more flexibility for decision makers

Have your say

What happens next

Following this consultation, any final amendments will be considered and justified before the document is completed and adopted. Once adopted, the SPD will assist in the planning process.