A1P (1) MAJOR HIGHWAY SCHEMES - A5225 ... - Wigan Council

household type, the type of housing and its location. Objectors argue that the LPA has
failed to do this. These factors are, in practice, difficult to reflect in a policy because the
LPA has no control over the identity of the individuals and households who occupy
particular dwellings. PPG3 recognises this by limiting its provisions to the advice that
LPAs should allow for significantly lower levels of off-street parking provision,
particularly for developments in locations such as town centres where services are readily
available by walking, cycling or public transport, or which provide housing for elderly
people, single people and students where demand for car parking is likely to be less than
for family housing. The UDP standards do conform to this advice by providing for less
car parking space in town centre developments than in out-of-centre ones, and for single
bed and sheltered accommodation as compared with larger dwellings.
10.172 PPG3 advises that car parking standards that result, on average, in
development with more than 1.5 off-street car parking spaces per dwelling are unlikely to
reflect the Government’s emphasis on securing sustainable environments. Policies which
would result in higher levels of off-street parking, especially in urban areas, should not be
adopted. A subsequent Ministerial Statement has clarified that PPG3 envisages that the
average of 1.5 car spaces is to be taken over the whole of an LPAs area. Objectors argue
that this does not necessarily mean that developments above this average will harm this
objective. The RDD standards reflect that view by providing that, for dwelling houses
with 4 or more bedrooms, 2 car spaces would be appropriate.
10.173 There is no basis for a conclusion that the maximum standards provided
for dwelling houses, i.e. 1 per 3 dwellings for sheltered housing; 1 per dwelling for single
bed dwellings and flats in town centres and dwelling houses of up to 3 bedrooms; 1.5 per
dwelling for 2 + bedroom flats outside town centres and 2 per dwelling for 4 + bedroom
dwellings would result in this overall average of 1.5 off-street spaces per dwelling being
exceeded within new housing developments across the LPA area as a whole. Objectors
argue that additional provision should be made for visitors’ car parking spaces. My
interpretation of the advice of PPG3 is that this is to be provided within the overall
average of 1.5 off-street car spaces per dwelling. I conclude that the LPA’s car parking
standards are in conformity with the advice of PPG3.
10.174 Objectors regard the prescription of rigid standards as inappropriate in
principle. They note that the reference within PPG3 to 1.5 off-street car parking spaces
per dwelling is expressed as an average. It is necessary, however, for the LPA to
prescribe specific standards for particular categories of housing development to achieve
this average. LPAs are advised to revise their parking standards to allow for significantly
lower levels of off-street parking provision than in the past. It is still necessary, therefore,
for the LPA to define clear standards of some sort.
10.175 Objectors argue that it is illogical for the standards to require a maximum
of 1.5 car spaces per 2+ bedroom flat outside a town centre but a maximum of only 1 car
space per 3-bedroom dwelling. The explanatory text to Appendix 9 informs that the
parking standards are based on Greater Manchester-wide standards developed in
partnership with the Greater Manchester districts through the Local Transport Plan
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