Will BCP's proposed Controlled Parking Zones impact your developments?

BCP council has opened comments on their proposal for further Controlled Parking Zones near coastal streets. Paid parking is being proposed to address the lack of funds available to control illegal parking across the wider area.

How may this impact your planning applications?

Parking provisions are a key consideration in determining your planning application. Further Controlled Parking Zones could create a barrier to approving sites with low parking provision & reduce the amount of space available on your sites for housing.

BCP parking standards for new developments were introduced in 2021 and set recommended vehicle parking for new developments. In cases where it is not viable to provide on-site parking to the levels recommended, a study of the area can be conducted to demonstrate that on-site parking is not necessary. This could include identifying whether Controlled Parking Zones are in place, what public transport provisions are within walking distance, and the distance to key amenities.

BCP’s parking SPD outlines that where developments provide low or zero parking provision, it may be necessary to ensure that future residents do not have access to resident permits through a legal agreement as part of the planning application. This could provide a further barrier to approving sites with lower than recommended car parking provision, as it would be harder to demonstrate that off-site provisions are in place.

With the introduction of further Controlled Parking Zones, it could put greater reliance on developers to provide the full recommended (or an increased) level of onsite parking, leaving less ‘developable’ space for housing.

It is clear that the proposal aims to create further income for the council (particularly from those who seem happy to receive parking conviction tickets to spend the day at the beach)… but it could also have an impact on your development proposals.

By the time planning conditions are discussed, it is likely that you have already committed to purchasing your site based on your predicted GDV – not the time you want to find out that buyers of your low parking / parking free development may be restricted from purchasing residential parking permits.

Our Take

Be mindful of the emerging direction the council are taking to restrict roadside car parking and factor this into your development proposals.

This post is a response to a conversation on whether to include parking onsite. This site was not required to provide parking, but we had allowed for one space per unit. The balance between value added, the cost of constructing parking over a root-protected area & the BNG financial contributions required to offset the loss of green space for the proposed parking was leading in favour of removing the parking, but with the potential of new restrictions, we may need to rethink!