Policy information sourced from Dacorum Local Plan 2004 Alteration

58 Private Parking Provision

Decisions on provision and management of private parking will be made in accordance with the principles set out in Policy 57. The following requirements apply to new development and to the expansion and change of use of existing development.

New development with a significant parking requirement will only be permitted where parking provision is minimised, measures are taken by the applicant to address the problems (of traffic generation, congestion and on-street parking pressure) likely to arise from the parking demands generated by the development and where appropriate improvements to alternative travel modes are supported either directly as part of the development or through accessibility charges.

The level of parking provision to be provided in new development will be assessed using the demand based parking guidelines and approach to parking set out in Appendix 5 of the Plan.

Non - Residential Development

All development with significant transport implications will be directed to locations potentially accessible by means other than the private car. Such locations include the whole of towns and large villages defined in the Plan.

Car parking standards will apply as a maximum, unless it has been demonstrated through a Transport Assessment that a higher level of parking is needed. It should not be assumed that where a proposal accords with the relevant maximum standard it is automatically acceptable.

For retail and leisure developments within the town centre, or on an edge of centre site, permission may be granted for parking that exceeds the relevant maximum standard. These parking facilities must serve the town centre as a whole to ensure the scale is consistent with the centre’s size and be secured by means of a planning obligation.

Operational and customer car parking provision on site will be kept to a minimum. The precise level of provision must be justified in each case, and the figure included within the maximum based standard.

Employee parking needs should as far as possible not be met on site, and instead should be dealt with through a Green Travel Plan by alternative provision for non motorised or passenger transport, or off site public parking. The applicant can achieve this through a planning obligation commuting the cost of meeting parking demands on or off site into financial contributions to fund these alternative measures. Parking provision and its management will be encouraged through the establishment of public-private partnerships.

Where a major development is proposed, the applicant will be expected to enter into a planning obligation to apply a ‘Green Travel Plan’ to minimise latent pressure for on site parking and its effects. This plan will need to be linked to the applicant’s Transport Assessment (ref. Policy 51 ).

Assessment

Redevelopment of existing private parking areas will be encouraged if the parking demand of the existing and new buildings is dealt with on the basis of the principles set out above.

Where new customer car parking is proposed as part of a development it must be subject to management arrangements that ensure its usage is consistent with the overall parking strategy for the area, including shared use of the parking facility and for use by the general public. Arrangements should be secured through a planning obligation including any appropriate land holding provisions.

Residential Development

Parking needs, calculated by reference to the parking guidelines in Appendix 5 of the Plan, will normally be met on site.

Car free residential development may be considered in high accessibility locations. Parking provision may also be omitted or reduced on the basis of the type and location of the development (e.g. special needs/affordable housing, conversion or reuse in close proximity to facilities, services and passenger transport).

For more information please see the Local Plan