COUNCIL chiefs have demanded developers provide more on-site off-road parking in future housing developments across Worcester and Malvern in a bid to bring the county’s parking arrangements ‘into the real world’.
Coun Alan Amos made the call as part of a package of new measures which recognise people have more cars and used them more frequently.
The outspoken councillor said the county’s roads must be used by moving vehicles and not as car parks.
He has increased the requirements for both houses and flats, with more provision for visitor spaces.
Student houses also have minimum parking standards as Coun Amos said a number of students had cars, like everyone else, which are parked on roads adding to traffic congestion.
“These new provisions are realistic and necessary to improve everybody’s quality of life. Whether the future brings us electric or driverless cars, they will still need to be parked somewhere,” he said.
“I have dealt with the nonsense that if you don’t provide parking spaces, somehow people won’t have cars whereas, in fact, the only consequence of not providing enough parking spaces is to increase congestion.”
Coun Amos made the comments during the recent Worcestershire County Council cabinet meeting which heard how traffic congestion remained the top priority for many residents across the county.
“Since parking congestion is a major cause of that, these new requirements for more off-road provision must be seen as part of our wider strategy of tackling congestion,” he said.
“Past mistakes of not providing enough parking spaces has led to neighbour disputes and many other permanent problems.
“For example, on the huge Sentinel Close development in my own division of Bedwardine, City Council planners deliberately provided inadequate parking so that residents are now engaged in daily battles to find somewhere to park.
“The County Council treats private and social/affordable housing in exactly the same way and, unlike the City Council, does not accept the absurd and insulting notion that people in affordable/social housing do not have as many cars,” he added.
