Policy I/EV: Parking and electric vehicles

There is a higher propensity to cycle in

The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

than nationally and increased use of electric cycles is enabling longer journeys. The plan needs to support this sustainable mode of travel making the parking of all types of cycles secure and convenient, and avoiding the problems caused by insufficient spaces.

The plan needs to support people using mobility scooters and new forms of micro-mobility, by providing secure parking and access to electric charging.

Car Parking is important so vehicles can be stored safely where they don’t cause highway problems. Parking displacement and inappropriate car parking impacts on quality of place, causes nuisance and can hinder emergency services. However car parking is land hungry, can be unsightly, undermines the quality of place, and can discourage travel by sustainable modes.

Local Plans can set parking standards, which specify the number of spaces that need to go with different types and scales of development. These can be set as maximum standards in certain circumstances, such as to manage traffic in town centres. Policies for

The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

need to address a wide range of locations, from very rural villages with limited bus services, to City centre areas where the car may actually be the least convenient way to make a local journey. One standard will not fit all of these locations.

The Cambridge

Short form for the Greater Cambridge Local Plan, which sets out policies to guide the future development of Greater Cambridge. It also sets out where future development will take place, and identifies land for new housing, community facilities, shops and employment. It is the key document use to determine planning applications for new development in the Greater Cambridge area.

2018 currently includes a set of maximum car parking standards, which restrict parking particularly in the central areas. The South Cambridgeshire

Short form for the Greater Cambridge Local Plan, which sets out policies to guide the future development of Greater Cambridge. It also sets out where future development will take place, and identifies land for new housing, community facilities, shops and employment. It is the key document use to determine planning applications for new development in the Greater Cambridge area.

2018 includes indicative parking standards, that respond to the more rural nature of the area. However, both plans acknowledge that a site by site design-led approach is needed with flexibility to respond to the local circumstances of each site.

As part of the response to climate change the

Short form for the Greater Cambridge Local Plan, which sets out policies to guide the future development of Greater Cambridge. It also sets out where future development will take place, and identifies land for new housing, community facilities, shops and employment. It is the key document use to determine planning applications for new development in the Greater Cambridge area.

needs to support sustainable travel. Significant transport improvements are planned to public transport and cycle routes in

The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

by the

The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

Partnership and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

The

The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

Partnership are also preparing an Integrated Parking Strategy looking at the management of on- and off-street car parking as part of wider ambitions for achieving modal shift away from the private car. As part of place making we need to make places where people want to move around by walking and cycling, so they are not car dominated, and where people access their destinations by public transport. Controlling parking levels in accessible locations is part of this.

When using maximum standards there is a tendency for them to become the default level, rather than respond to site specific circumstances. We are therefore proposing that we move to a more design-led approach, supported by indicative standards tailored to reflect different circumstances. These standards could be included within future design guidance or Supplementary Planning Documents. This would allow flexibility to adapt to changing patterns of car ownership and use through the plan period.

As well as the amount of parking, we want to support better design solutions. Cars are unused for the majority of the time, with some people only requiring a car for occasional journeys, coupled with the trend for less young people to take up driving and owning a car. We will seek to encourage innovative and flexible solutions to reduce car parking in appropriate locations, such as through the reallocation of spaces for car clubs (which should use electric vehicles and accommodate disabled users), and provision of shared parking including in car barns where vehicles are stored off-plot.

With Government seeking to phase out sales of new petrol and diesel by 2030 it is vital that new developments are ready to support electric vehicles. The recommendations proposed regarding charging points have been informed by the

The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

New Zero Carbon Study 2021. Acknowledging that take up will grow, some of the provision will be passive, able to be activated when there is demand, avoiding the need to retrofit. Accommodating charging will also have to be reflected in the design of places, for example minimise conflicts such as cables across pedestrian and cyclist routes. In major sites charging for other types of vehicles such as buses, may also be needed.

Charging infrastructure for cycles may encourage take up of electric cycles for some journeys previously considered too far to cycle. Appropriate charging infrastructure may also be required to enable the electrification of the local bus fleet.

Respondents to the First Conversation supported measures to provide accessible and well-designed cycle parking at stations and public transport hubs, and suggested cycle parking standards need to be updated to provide for a range of cycles and provide maintenance facilities.

There were suggestions for car free zones and the replacement of parking spaces with tree planting, whilst ensuring availability of disabled parking. There is support for measures to reduce car parking including through smart parking, provision of shared spaces and community ownership of zero carbon vehicles.

There is support for electrification of buses and provision of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

1. No policy – Not considered a reasonable alternative as national planning policy requires consideration of parking.

2. Set specific standards for car parking provision. - This is not the preferred approach as the flexibility provided by a design-led approach to car parking is favoured for the reasons given above, but we would welcome views on this approach.

3. Do not set requirements for vehicle charging - This is not the preferred approach given the need for developments to respond to climate change, and to adapt to changing vehicle types.

• The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

  Short form for the Greater Cambridge Local Plan, which sets out policies to guide the future development of Greater Cambridge. It also sets out where future development will take place, and identifies land for new housing, community facilities, shops and employment. It is the key document use to determine planning applications for new development in the Greater Cambridge area.

  : Topic paper 8:

  Includes transport, energy, water, waste, digital/smart, social and green infrastructure.

South Cambridgeshire

Short form for the Greater Cambridge Local Plan, which sets out policies to guide the future development of Greater Cambridge. It also sets out where future development will take place, and identifies land for new housing, community facilities, shops and employment. It is the key document use to determine planning applications for new development in the Greater Cambridge area.

2018

• Policy TI/3: Parking Provision

Cambridge

Short form for the Greater Cambridge Local Plan, which sets out policies to guide the future development of Greater Cambridge. It also sets out where future development will take place, and identifies land for new housing, community facilities, shops and employment. It is the key document use to determine planning applications for new development in the Greater Cambridge area.

2018

• Policy 82: Parking management

Our consultation for this phase is now closed.