Proposed Response to the Parking Standards SPD

This is my proposed response to the consultation which WBC is currently running regarding the Parking Standards SPD. I’ll probably submit it in the next week or so.

In general I support the aims of the document and have no reason to comment on any areas other than residential parking, motorcycle parking and places of worship.

1. The previous parking standards have caused significant problems in the borough and the loss of desirable green verges in Brookwood as they have been turned into ad-hoc parking which ruins the look of the village. Where small developments occur and with the support of immediate residents, some consideration should be given to converting some grass verges to proper paved allocated parking.

2. Where there are large developments with circa 25+ dwellings, the ratios could cause some problems if many of the dwellings are starter homes and have one or two bedrooms. There is a need across the borough for small dwellings which will suit young, growing families. For example, an estate of 100 houses, of which 80 of those are a combination of flats/houses of one or two bedrooms will have insufficient spaces to allow those estates to grow satisfactorily. In instances such as this, a ratio of visitor parking should be defined to ensure there is sufficient room to take the slack. The current proposal says visitor parking is encouraged, this should be investigated further and an appropriate ratio mandated.

3. Motorcycles and scooters are part of the solution when considering congestion and sustainable modes of transport. Motorcycles will typically have fuel consumption far in excess of many cars and rarely sit idling in traffic. There are no diesel motorcycles, but there are electric motorcycles. The Parking Standards SPD takes none of this into account and it should in all use classes.

4. In developments of large sites with in excess of circa 25+ dwellings, consideration should be given to providing some motorcycle parking provision with ground locks to assist with security. These small bays should be in good sight for security purposes otherwise motorcycles are often parked on pavements or take up full sized car parking bays.

5. Where a place of worship has a congregation, which is not local to the building, insufficient on-site parking can cause significant problems to the surrounding roads as many worshipers frequently park with little regard for local residents. This situation is experienced often at the Kingdom Hall Of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Brookwood and the Shah Jahan Mosque in Maybury. Where new or replacement places of worship come forward, consideration should be given to the location that worshipers travel from because one space per ten worshipers is clearly insufficient unless worshipers are bused in. All places of worship in instances like this should have a travel plan in a similar way to a school.

Please let me know if you have a view on the above so I can reconsider my response.

Cheers.

Kevin