Councils should drop ‘anti-car dogma’, says Pickles

27 Aug 13
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has hit out at ‘draconian’ council parking policies that he says are driving people away from town centres and give many authorities a bad name

By Richard Johnstone  | 27 August 2013

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has hit out at ‘draconian’ council parking policies that he says are driving people away from town centres and give many authorities a bad name.

Publishing new planning guidance that is intended to make it easier for the number of town centre parking spaces to be increased, Pickles said town halls need to ‘ditch their anti-car dogma’. 

Making it easier for people to park their care will help support local shops, local jobs and tourism, he added yesterday.

The revised guidance, which also covers design of traffic-calming measures, called on councils to ‘understand the important role appropriate parking facilities can play in rejuvenating shops, high streets and town centres’. 

The quality of parking in town centres should be deemed important by all councils, and should be convenient, safe and secure, the guidance said. Parking charges should be appropriate and not undermine the vitality of town centres and local shops, and parking enforcement should be proportionate.

It also stated town hall planning rules around parking must not to be used to tax drivers or justify development of ‘crude’ traffic calming measures, such as poorly sited bollards and road humps.

The revised guidance comes after the High Court ruled the London Borough of Barnet had unlawfully increased its car parking charges in a bid to use them as a means to raise revenue.

Pickles highlighted that approximately half of all parking is run by local authorities, and warned that draconian municipal parking policies could hit local trade. 

‘Anti-car measures are driving motorists into the arms of internet retailers and out of town superstores, taking their custom with them. Confusing and difficult car parking practices are undermining the economic vitality of the high street and tourist destinations. Over-zealous parking wardens have been inflicting real damage on local economies and given many towns and councils a bad name.

‘Town halls need to ditch their anti-car dogma. Making it easier to park will help support local shops, local jobs and tourism.’

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