Policy information sourced from The London Plan 2021

T6 Car parking

Car parking should be restricted in line with levels of existing and future public transport accessibility and connectivity.

Car-free development should be the starting point for all development proposals in places that are (or are planned to be) well-connected by public transport, with developments elsewhere designed to provide the minimum necessary parking (‘car-lite’). Car-free development has no general parking but should still provide disabled persons parking in line with Part E of this policy.

An absence of local on-street parking controls should not be a barrier to new development, and boroughs should look to implement these controls wherever necessary to allow existing residents to maintain safe and efficient use of their streets.

The maximum car parking standards set out in Policy T6 .1 Residential parking to Policy T6 .5 Non-residential disabled persons parking should be applied to development proposals and used to set local standards within Development Plans.

Appropriate disabled persons parking for Blue Badge holders should be provided as set out in Policy T6 .1 Residential parking to Policy T6 .5 Nonresidential disabled persons parking.

Where provided, each motorcycle parking space should count towards the maximum for car parking spaces at all use classes.

Where car parking is provided in new developments, provision should be made for infrastructure for electric or other Ultra-Low Emission vehicles in line with Policy T6 .1 Residential parking, Policy T6 .2 Office Parking, Policy T6 .3 Retail parking, and Policy T6 .4 Hotel and leisure uses parking. All operational parking should make this provision, including offering rapid charging. New or re-provided petrol filling stations should provide rapid charging hubs and/or hydrogen refuelling facilities.

Where electric vehicle charging points are provided on-street, physical infrastructure should not negatively affect pedestrian amenity and should ideally be located off the footway. Where charging points are located on the footway, it must remain accessible to all those using it including disabled people.

Adequate provision should be made for efficient deliveries and servicing and emergency access.

A Parking Design and Management Plan should be submitted alongside all applications which include car parking provision, indicating how the car parking will be designed and managed, with reference to Transport for London guidance on parking management and parking design.

Boroughs that have adopted or wish to adopt more restrictive general or operational parking policies are supported, including borough-wide or other area-based car-free policies. Outer London boroughs wishing to adopt minimum residential parking standards through a Development Plan Document (within the maximum standards set out in Policy T6 .1 Residential parking) must only do so for parts of London that are PTAL 0-1. Inner London boroughs should not adopt minimum standards. Minimum standards are not appropriate for non-residential use classes in any part of London.

Where sites are redeveloped, parking provision should reflect the current approach and not be re-provided at previous levels where this exceeds the standards set out in this policy. Some flexibility may be applied where retail sites are redeveloped outside of town centres in areas which are not well served by public transport, particularly in outer London.