Parking provision is one of the most contested elements of any planning application. Authorities, developers, and planning inspectors rarely approach it the same way, and getting it wrong in either direction can cause a scheme to stall.

The NPPF position

The National Planning Policy Framework sets out the government’s position clearly: local authorities can set parking standards for new development, but those standards should not result in provision that is unreasonably low.

The NPPF states that maximum parking standards should only be set where there is a clear and compelling justification, such as managing a constrained road network or optimising density in well-connected locations. Where public transport accessibility is high, lower provision may be appropriate, but the decision needs to be defensible.

This creates a framework that is flexible in principle but contested in practice. Developers often want more parking than the authority’s policy supports. Authorities in more urban locations may push for less.

How local authorities set their standards

Each LPA can set its own parking standards, usually through a local plan policy or a supplementary planning document. Standards vary considerably across England. An authority with strong public transport connections may set a ratio well below one space per dwelling. A more rural authority may require 1.5 or more.

These standards are not fixed. Local plans are reviewed over time, and parking policies can shift with changes in travel behaviour, EV adoption, and housing delivery priorities. Understanding where an authority currently sits on parking, and where it is likely to move, is part of any robust pre-application assessment.

The EV charging question

EV charging provision has become a material consideration in its own right. Building regulations now require charging points for new residential developments with associated parking. The NPPF makes clear that parking policies should account for the need to provide adequate EV infrastructure.

For larger schemes, this is not simply a technical compliance point. It affects car parking layout, electrical infrastructure capacity, and management arrangements. Treating EV charging as an afterthought tends to create cost and design problems further into the project.

Where parking disputes arise

Most parking disputes at planning stage fall into one of two categories: the developer proposing less than the authority’s standards support, or the authority seeking to reduce provision further than the developer considers viable.

Both scenarios require a well-evidenced transport case. In the first, the developer needs to demonstrate that lower provision is justified by accessibility conditions and that it will not lead to harmful overspill parking. In the second, the case for retaining provision needs to be made on the merits of the site.

Getting the parking case right requires a clear understanding of local policy, a realistic assessment of likely demand, and the ability to present that case clearly. TPA’s project experience includes schemes where parking provision has been a central planning issue across a range of authorities and development types.

The appeal position

Where parking disputes reach appeal, the inspector will consider whether the authority’s decision was consistent with national policy. Both over-restriction and under-provision feature regularly in appeal decisions. Understanding how parking has been treated in recent appeals for a given authority can inform how a scheme’s parking strategy is framed before submission. The relationship between transport assessment evidence and appeal outcomes is explored in more detail in TPA’s post on transport modelling and development decisions.

Getting the parking strategy right before submission is a more efficient route than correcting it at appeal. Early transport planning input on the likely authority position, combined with a robust evidence base, reduces the risk of parking becoming a reason for refusal.

You can get in touch with TPA’s team via the London office, the Bristol office, the Cambridge office, or the Norwich office to discuss your scheme.