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Members of Kent County Council's Environment and Transport Cabinet Committee met last week to discuss the new Kent Parking Standards, which if adopted will replace the current standards which were produced some 20 years ago and no longer represent best practice or policy compliance.

 

What are Parking Standards?

 

Vehicle Parking Standards are a development management tool that are used to ensure there is an appropriate balance between proposed land use within new development and the level of parking required to service those proposals.

 

They are used to assess the level of parking provision required for new developments when considering a planning application.

 
How has the approach to Parking Standards changed over the years?

 

The approach to parking at local and national level has changed considerably in recent years and parking standards have evolved accordingly.   

 

In the 1970s and 1980s, they were expressed in minimum standards, in other words, that no less than the required number of parking spaces were to be provided.

 

Then in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the concept of maximum parking standards was introduced with the aim of significantly lowering levels of off-street parking as a means of reducing car use.

 

Today, national government parking policy has sought to end 'unrealistic' restrictons on parking provision.

 

What is the background to KCC's Parking Standards?

 

The first set of vehicle parking standards for Kent was produced in 1968 and reviewed in 1978 and 1993. The Kent Vehicle Parking standards produced in October 1993 were minimum requirements.

 

The current parking standards include the Kent and Medway Structure Plan: Supplementary Planning Guidance 4 (2006) in respect of non-residential developments, and the Kent Design Guide: Interim Guidance Note 3 (2008) in respect of residential developments.

 

It is now acknowledged that as the current Standards are over 20 years old, they no longer represent best practice or comply with policy.

 

The new Parking Standards have been produced to align with the current approach to parking, and seek to represent a starting point for engagement with the Local Planning and Highway Authorities on parking and layout matters.

 

What are the key changes in the new Kent Parking Standards 2024?

 

Some of the key changes include:

 

General

  • Standards now a ‘starting point for discussion’ rather than a maximum or minimum;
  • Design and layout changes to size of bays, garages, car ports, car barns and tandem parking;
  • Front parking courts preferred to rear parking courts; and
  • Electric Vehicle Charging Points – standards refers to the Building Regulations 2010 – Approved Document S.

 

Residential Development

  • Some suburban and rural standards have increased, but are no longer minimum standards; and
  • Mention of off-plot spaces potentially being required by the highway authority.

 

Non-Residential

  • Most new land use categories will have the parking requirement determined on an individual basis; and
  • The majority of existing non-residential parking standards have remained the same.

 

What is the next step in the adoption process?

 

The next step is for KCC’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation to decide whether to formally adopt the new Standards with the change recommended.  A further update will be provided in due course. 

 

In the meantime, if you would like to find out more about the Parking Standards, please contact DHA Transport’s Paul Lulham, Rob Smith or Leo Ashby.

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