Declares that additional car parking facilities for Watermead Country Park users are required urgently as during bank holidays and hot days the car park capacity for Watermead Country Park is insufficient for the number of visitors to the park; further that, once the car park is full, Watermead Country Park users park on Alderton Close; further that this blocks the residents’ drives and restricts the movement of cars entering and leaving the area as vehicles are backed up along the road; and further that local police have been called on numerous occasions to diffuse the situation between residents of Alderton Close and Watermead Country Park users.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to encourage Leicester City Council to extend the parking facilities at Watermead Country Park in Leicester.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Keith Vaz, Official Report, 7 June 2016; Vol. 611, c. 1160.]
[P001698]
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Mr Marcus Jones):
The National Planning Policy Framework does not set maximum national parking standards. This reflects the Government’s belief that local authorities are best placed to take account of local circumstances and all other material considerations. It is for them to apply national planning policy to local situations and decide the level of parking that is appropriate in view of local circumstances, and the need to promote sustainable transport outcomes.
In March 2015, the Department for Communities and Local Government published new statutory guidance that ensures local residents and firms can petition to initiate a formal review of parking policies in their area by their council, with councillors then voting on the action to be taken. The full guidance can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-challenge-parking-policies.
This statutory guidance is issued by the Secretary of State under Section 18 of the Traffic Management Act 2004. It applies to Local Traffic Authorities in England, which must have regard to this guidance when exercising their Network Management Duty under the Act.