Essex County Council has issued draft guidelines to change parking rules to ‘remove the blight of parked cars’ and make new developments more accessible to sustainable transport forms.
The council claims it is leading the way in accommodating more adequate parking for cars in safe positions, while encouraging sustainable transport like cycling and buses.
It said buses have previously had trouble accessing estates due to cars being parked on both sides of the street. All local authorities in the county will have the opportunity to adopt the new proposals.
According to the council’s recent study, more than three-quarters (78%) of garages in the area are not used to store vehicles. The county claims this is because they are too small for modern vehicles. Central government guidance states that garages should be 5 metres by 2.5 metres, while Essex is proposing this be increased to 7 metres by 3 metres in order to make space for residents’ vehicles.
Cllr Norman Hume, cabinet member for highways, said: ‘This new parking guidance is a radical break from the past failed approach which has seen local communities blighted by parked cars which should and can be better accommodated into neighbourhoods.
‘This consultation shows how we are challenging the failures of national policies affecting local communities here in Essex. ‘I hope our new approach to parking provokes debate across the country about the kind of communities we want to live in.’ The council has also drafted guidelines that require more parking spaces per household and bigger on-street bays, as well as a minimum number of 25 extra spaces for visitors per 100 homes.
Cllr Keith Francis, Liberal Democrat transport spokesman for Essex, agreed in principle with the need for a review. ‘However, this needs to be done in association with a review of the county’s whole transport plan. It cannot be treated as an isolated issue,’ he said.
‘We need to improve our park and ride – the Government has previously asked why we haven’t applied for a network. There are serious problems with congestion and little has been done to promote car share, cycling and walking routes. In fact, over the course of the past three years, investment in cycling routes have actually been reduced.’
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