MEETING OF COUNCIL - Town of Cambridge

COUNCIL MINUTES
TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2012
Car Parking Ratios
The suitability of parking ratios for the most common land use categories (retail, office,
industry, consulting rooms and hospitals) were examined in the Access and Parking
Strategy. At this stage, the only change proposed is to reduce the standard for retail from
one bay per 15sqm floor space to one bay for 20sqm floor space, as has been incorporated
into the revised Policy. The Strategy proposes that the Policy be reviewed in five years time
to consider traffic and parking conditions at that time and whether changes to parking
requirements for other land uses might be made.
In the case of mixed use developments, through consideration by the Town Planning
Scheme Review Steering Committee, it is proposed that the car parking requirements for
small-scale retail developments be calculated as per office parking standards (one bay per
30sqm) so as to encourage tenancies with active frontages as part of these developments.
Council has already supported development proposals on this basis. The policy is worded to
only allow this concession where the retail use is not the dominant part of the development
and is not large format retail, so as to encourage smaller cafes and convenience retail.
The revised Parking Policy also introduces a requirement for at least two per cent of bays to
be for motorcycle/scooter/gopher parking. Under the current policy, the provision of
motorcycle and scooter/gopher parking is a matter for the owner or operator to determine. It
is expected that motorcycle and scooter/gopher use will increase into the future in response
to fuel costs and the aging population. Accordingly, the Access and Parking Strategy
recommended that more motorcycle type parking spaces be introduced and that public and
private car parks initially assume that two per cent of vehicles are motorcycles, scooters or
gophers.
Specific purpose bays (Visitor Parking)
The matter of allocating a certain number of bays for the general public, as opposed to staff
of premises, was raised by the Town Planning Scheme Review Steering Committee in
response to concerns over availability of on-site parking spaces for visitors and customers.
The revised Policy proposes that the allocation of specific purpose bays be identified in the
Parking Management Plans and that this is added as a condition of planning approval. In the
case of consulting rooms, the existing standard of four bays per consulting room directly
equates to one bay each for practitioner, reception staff member and two patients (one
waiting). Subsequently, for consulting rooms, 50 per cent of on-site parking is proposed to
be allocated to non-staff.
Bicycles and End of Trip Facilities
The revised Policy stipulates provision for long stay and short stay bicycle parking and end
of trip facilities in all new development. It is now generally expected that these facilities are
available in new or renovated buildings and is supported by the Western Australian Planning
Commission development control policy ‘Bicycle Panning’.
Parking Concessions
To reduce car use and encourage more sustainable travel, it is general practice to reduce
on-site parking requirements where alternative modes are available and/or facilities are put
in place to make them more attractive.
Council has already applied this principle when determining recent development
applications. The revised Policy formalises this approach.
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