Following a period of consultation we agreed an interim policy for city centre commuter car parking on cleared sites which will be a material consideration in planning applications. The policy was approved on 7 September 2011 and effectively adopted on 19 September 2011. As a temporary measure expected to last around five years the impact of the policy will be kept under review.
Background
An adjustment to Unitary Development Plan Review (UDPR) policy on commuter car parking was thought necessary at the end of 2010. This was after we had been successful in enforcement action against a number of unauthorised commuter car parks on cleared sites to the south of Leeds train station. If we had pursued the enforcement action and extended its scope to other sites, commuter car parking opportunities would have been severely restricted. This was not considered appropriate because the delivery of new public transport infrastructure such as Supertram/NGT and the provision of park-and-ride schemes had been delayed and were not expected to be delivered in the near future. It was therefore considered it would be the wrong time to clamp down on unauthorised commuter car parks.
Likewise, it was considered appropriate to make any approval of commuter car parking conditional upon the delivery of physical improvements to the quality and appearance of car parks. This is to enhance the local environment making sites more marketable for developers and attractive and secure for users.
Policy
The policy aims to allow car park owners and/or operators to gain temporary approval for commuter car parking in return for physical improvements to the quality and appearance of sites. Temporary permissions will normally last for five years, offering enough time to justify financial investment in physical improvements. The Policy incorporates a “cap” of 3200 on the total number of commuter car parking spaces which can be approved through the policy. This is to ensure the policy does not lead to more car commuting than was possible before. The type of physical improvements expected include landscaping, security lighting, attractive gates/fences/signage etc and better surfacing with clearly laid-out spaces.
Process for considering planning applications
Applications validated during the three month period from adoption of the policy (up to 19 December 2011) will be considered collectively. A decision on all applications received during this period will be taken together at City Centre Plans Panel. Applications will be determined in accordance with the development plan taking into account this policy and any other material considerations.
Once the “cap” of 3200 car parking spaces to be permitted has been exceeded, further applications will be contrary to this policy and are likely to be resisted.
To aid the preparation of Transport Assessments, a scoping note has been prepared in collaboration with the Highways Agency which provides more information on our requirements for trip distribution and arrival/departure profiles.
The following clarification is provided in response to questions that have been raised following the adoption of the policy:
- All applications valid at close of play on 19/12/2011 will be assessed together pursuant to the informal city centre commuter car parking policy and prioritised over later applications.
- For the avoidance of doubt, in order to ensure a fair assessment of applications is carried out pursuant to the policy, the Council will assess valid applications as presented at 19/12/2011. Any subsequent revisions made after 19/12/2011 will be disregarded for the purposes of the comparative assessment.
- In the event of an oversubscription of the available 3200 parking spaces the applications will be scored against the identified preference criteria using the following scoring and weighting system below.
Criteria
1. Preference to sites that will generate least localised congestion or junction problems in Transport Assessments (assuming a baseline that ignores traffic generated by unauthorised car parks).
Scoring: Out of 0-10: 0 = worst; 10 = best. Ranking of total score: 25%
2. Preference for sites which display high safety design features, such as good clear sight lines. Landscaping schemes should be designed so as not to impede sight lines or provide “places to hide”.
Scoring: Out of 0-10: 0 = worst; 10 = best. Ranking of total score: 22.5%
3. Preference for sites that contribute the greatest enhancement in terms of visual appearance and biodiversity. Good quality landscaping including greenery will be a plus. It will be recognised that larger sites may have the opportunity to install landscaping in the same locations as approved on permanent schemes; as such investment will be longer term, the landscaping quality will be expected to be higher than would otherwise be the case
Scoring: Out of 0-10: 0 = worst; 10 = best. Ranking of total score: 20%
4. Preference for sites inside the city centre boundary
Scoring: 10 for inside; 0 for outside. Ranking of total score: 17.5%
5. Preference to sites that contribute other beneficial temporary uses such as allotments, sports pitches, public spaces, seating areas, electric charging points. It will be recognised that smaller sites will not be capable of delivering large temporary uses.
Scoring: Out of 0-10: 0 = worst; 10 = best. Ranking of total score: 15%
The following documents are available on this page:
- City Centre Commuter Car Parking Policy
- Report of Consultation on the City Centre Commuter Car Parking Informal Policy
- Quantity of Car Parking Spaces Affected
- Advice on preparation of Transport and Flood risk Assessment
- Further Transport Assessment Guidance
- SEA Screening Report
Further details can be obtained from the following officers:
Daljit Singh: Planning application and development management issues
Andrew Thickett: Traffic and highways impact
Mark Burgess/Jenny Fisher: Visual and physical improvements
Robin Coghlan: Planning Policy
Tim Harvey: Transport Policy and Data