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New parking guidelines to beat congestion
Portsmouth City Council is proposing new guidelines to make sure builders of new homes in Portsmouth include adequate parking spaces.
The new guidelines are now up for consultation. They would mean residents in new developments would be less likely to park on the city's congested streets.
John Slater, the council's Head of Planning, said: "There are government rules about how much parking should be included in new developments.
"These used to lay down a maximum number of parking spaces in each development. Developers could decide how many spaces to have, as long as they didn't go above the maximum.
"But the rules have changed, allowing councils to be more flexible and create guidelines that suit local circumstances.
"The guidelines we're proposing for Portsmouth would show developers the right number of spaces each new home should have, and encourage them to be responsible.
"If they want to provide less parking, then they would have to give a good reason. For example, the development might be very near a train station or an alternative car park. This would fit with our policy of trying to limit car use.
"If developers want to provide more parking than the guidelines say, they will have to justify that too.
"We're trying to strike a balance. On the one hand we need to control the demand for parking on our streets. On the other we want people to rely on cars less, when there's an alternative.
"We want to meet the day-to-day needs of residents in new developments, but without encouraging too much parking space than is necessary."
The new rules propose one allocated parking space for a one-bed flat, and two allocated spaces for a home with three or more bedrooms. If parking is shared, the rules would allow fewer spaces, because in Portsmouth a third of all households do not own a car and this rises to around a half of all small households.
The new standards will be introduced after residents, transport organisations, developers and other interested groups have been consulted.
For more details residents can go to http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/living/13599.html or read the consultation document at the Civic Offices, Guildhall Square (Monday-Thursday 8:30am-5pm and Friday 8:30am-4pm).
Anyone interested in commenting, or who needs a printed copy, can:
- Call the transport police team on (023) 9283 4615
- Write to:
Transport Policy Team
Planning Services
Civic Offices
Guildhall Square
Portsmouth
PO1 2AU - Email ldf@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
The deadline for comments is 30 September
Date : 18 July 2008
