The Government’s national policy on residential parking is set out in Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing (2006) and Planning Policy Guidance 13: Transport (2001). PPG13 is clear that local authority policies in preparing their development plans should set maximum levels of parking for broad classes of development, including residential and non-residential development, and that there should be no minimum standards for development, other than parking for disabled people. PPS3 asks local authorities to develop residential parking policies for their areas taking account of expected levels of car ownership, the importance of promoting good design and the need to use land efficiently. This has been deliberately devolved to local authorities so they can make the right choices for their local areas, in consultation with their local communities.
The flexibility given to local authorities in PPS3 is consistent with the objectives of PPG13, to set their own residential parking policies taking account of the expected levels of car ownership, the importance of promoting good design and the need to use land efficiently.