3.8.1 Parking principles
This section looks at the principles for appropriately accommodating car parking while ensuring streets are not dominated by parked vehicles.
These rules sit alongside the guidance set out in the latest Cheshire West and Chester Parking Standards SPDopens new window which sets out the quantum of parking required. This Code sets out how to design this quantum of parking in a way which integrates with the broader Street Typologies
To achieve people focused streets, the location and design of parking is key. Inappropriate parking design will have a significant impact on the character of a street and limits land availability for public spaces, tree planting or additional homes.
For Chester city centre, Local Centre and Urban Neighbourhood developments on Medium sites and larger (more than 50 homes), a split parking provision must be used where the parking requirement exceeds one space per dwelling.
- The primary parking space must be provided either within the plot, on-street close to the dwelling, or within an attached communal parking area (e.g. basement, undercroft, parking green, parking square, or parking court).
- Any additional parking spaces must be accommodated separately, such as within a peripheral parking area, located within a maximum 3-minute walk of the dwelling. Where parking is provided off-curtilage, a safe, direct, well-lit and overlooked pedestrian route shall be provided between the parking area and the dwelling. This pedestrian route must be suitable for adoption.
- Parking courts must be designed on the basis that they will remain privately managed and will not be adopted by the highway authority.
For all other area types, and on small developments (less than 50 homes), a split parking provision as set out above should be used wherever possible.
In suburban and village area types, additional parking could be provided in public car parking areas under a long-term lease. For example, where there is spare capacity in a multi-storey car park.
More than one space could be provided ‘on plot’ if there is a need to provide an additional accessible space.