8.10.2 Parking

Journeys into urban centres by private car can contribute to congestion and reduced air quality. The County Council promotes journeys by modes other than the car by regulating private parking opportunities and costs.  In conjunction with this, parking regulations are strictly enforced.

Lancashire will develop and co-ordinate multi-agency input to highway matters. Working effectively with Local Strategic and Community Safety Partnerships will add value and innovation to highway solutions.

Car park management is a valuable element of UTMC, Urban Traffic Management and Control. It informs drivers where they can find vacant parking places and reduces the number of cars circulating in the urban centre. Car park management is operating successfully in Preston and Chorley and is included in the UTMC schemes being implemented in Burnley and Lancaster. UTMC will be updated and extended to other urban areas.

The County Council has coordinated the introduction of Decriminalised Parking Enforcement across Lancashire under the title of ParkWise. Lancashire is using ParkWise to enforce parking regulations to;

• increase parking turnover to improve access to services
• reduce obstruction to vehicles and congestion
• reduce road casualties and obstruction to pedestrians.

Lancashire will respond to changing needs in town centres and has introduced charges for on-street parking in central areas of Preston and Lancaster. Working with District Councils as our partners, and in consultation with our neighbouring authorities, we will review parking restrictions and co-ordinate a consistent approach to parking policies and charges across the County.

Lancashire, in partnership with District Councils, will ensure that there are dedicated parking places for visitors with particular needs. People with restricted mobility require places close to services. Motorcycles require secure places. Taxis require parking places at transport interchanges, supermarkets and close to town centre services including entertainment.

The planning system has a central role in parking control and management through the application of parking standards on new development. The Joint Lancashire Structure Plan Technical Appendix : Parking Standards includes parking standards for a broad range of land uses. These indicate maximum levels for cars and minimum provision rates for bicycles and motorcycles. This document is supported by Supplementary Planning Guidance Access and Parking, which incorporates further advice and provides a framework for the development of town centre parking strategies. Access and Parking also identifies the importance of using planning obligations to manage the cost and periods of stay for new car parking.

The Joint Lancashire Structure Plan Parking Standards establish a direct link between parking levels and accessibility. An Accessibility Questionnaire is required for all applications over 500sqm gfa that takes into account accessibility by a range of modes. Parking levels are related to the accessibility of the site and sites with low levels of non-car accessibility are required to demonstrate how this will be improved. Overall standards are more restrictive in the Principal Urban Areas of Burnley, Lancaster and Preston, reflecting their generally better accessibility.

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