Policy information sourced from the Waltham Forest Local Plan

66 Managing Vehicle Traffic

In order to encourage and promote active and sustainable transport as the main means of travel in Waltham Forest, to improve air quality, improve personal health and well-being and respond to the Climate Emergency, all new residential developments (major and minor) in the borough should be car-free. Where car parking is required, the following considerations will apply:

A. In the case of proposed developments in less well connected areas, a robust Transport Assessment (TA) must be provided to justify the need for any deviation from car-free development, in line with London Plan policies;

B. Proposals must not exceed the maximum parking standards set out in the London Plan and in ‘Appendix 1 - Parking Standards’ of this Plan. For mixed-use schemes, specific parking should be provided for different uses;

C. Disability Discrimination Act compliant (DDA) (Blue Badge) parking spaces should be provided for all developments, including car-free proposals in accordance with best practice standards, as set out in the London Plan and ‘Appendix 1 - Parking Standards’ of this Plan;

D. Parking or loading provision for essential operational or servicing needs must be justified through a TA, in line with Policy 63 ‘Development and Transport Impacts’;

E. Where other car parking (including motorcycle parking) is exceptionally provided it must not exceed London Plan and the parking standards set out in ‘Appendix 1 - Parking Standards’;

F. New development must incorporate designated spaces for deliveries within the boundaries of the development and, where appropriate, must provide Delivery and Servicing Plans (DSPs) which encourage provision for low-emission, consolidation and last mile delivery modes in line with Policy 64 ‘Deliveries, Freight and Servicing’;

G. Car parking in new developments for GPs, health and educational facilities will be supported by following ‘Appendix 1 - Parking Standards’ and London Plan policies;

H. Operational parking for business and industry uses will be permitted when need is clearly demonstrated within a TA, and measures have been applied to minimise the number of vehicles, frequency and impact of trips. All operational vehicles should be electric or meet the Euro Emissions Standards outlined by the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and operational parking should include infrastructure to support Electric Vehicle Charging;

Parking Management

I. Where parking is provided as part of a development, proposals must be supported with a Car Parking Management Plan detailing the mechanism for leasing spaces, the provision of disabled parking to meet future demand, and activation of passive electric charge points, in accordance with London Plan guidance on Parking Design and Management;

J. Proposals must ensure that disabled parking spaces in residential developments are only used by Blue Badge holders who are occupiers of wheelchair accessible homes in the development. Disabled spaces must not be sold off or leased to other residents;

K. A car-free agreement within legal agreements will be required, restricting new residents from accessing parking permits within existing Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) or ensuring future CPZs are in place before a development is occupied;

L. Where roads in close proximity to the site are not managed, or not adequately managed by parking controls, appropriate financial contributions will be sought to secure the delivery of CPZs;

Estate Regeneration

M. Where car parking is reprovided as part of Council housing estate regeneration schemes, proposals must be supported with a Car Parking Management Plan. The plan must outline how car parking will be reduced to meet the minimum need of returning residents, detail the mechanism for leasing spaces and the provision of Blue Badge parking to meet future demand, and specify activation of passive electric charge points, in accordance with London Plan guidance on Parking Design and Management. Where car parking exceeds Council parking standards, evidence of parking need should be provided;

N. Reprovided car parking spaces for existing residents should at no point be offered to new residents.Therefore the Car Parking Management Plan should set out how spaces will be repurposed in the future for uses such as pocket parks, play spaces and additional cycle parking; and

O. Car parking provision should be flexible for different users and adaptable for future repurposing to benefit the whole community.

Car Clubs

New development will be required to contribute to the borough’s public car club network by:

P. Providing accessible car club spaces on-site or contributions to deliver car club bays on-highway;

Q. Encouraging residents to use the network as an alternative to car ownership with a free membership and active promotion;

R. Contributing to the monitoring of the schemes through Section 106 agreements, in line with Policy 94 ‘Infrastructure and Developer Contributions’.