The borough council has been developing a review of car parking in Basingstoke with the aim of creating plans for the future of car park capacity, including its quantum, type and location, which will support emerging policies for growth of the borough and changing patterns of demand.
The review is being undertaken at a strategic level to allow it to adapt to changes as they take place over the medium to long term, and reflect the evolving shape of the borough, centring on the main urban area where most demand and capacity come together.
The Strategic Approach to Parking was adopted by the council on 9th October 2008 as the basis for developing future policies and making decisions with respect to parking and related matters. These documents can be accessed via the links at the bottom of this page.
The council, in taking the decision to develop the document, considered that a number of transport and wider community issues and objectives had been identified relating directly to how parking is planned and managed within the borough, so that strategies and policies for parking are addressed in a comprehensive and integrated way. The primary focus for the framework that has been adopted is as follows:
- Consider the way we manage parking within the borough from a social and economic perspective balanced against wider objectives in relation to climate change.
- The need to support the aims of the Central Basingstoke Vision, to ensure that central Basingstoke maintains its vitality and viability, particularly in relation to competition from other town centres and in the light of expected levels of population growth
- In order to support the Central Basingstoke Vision, assess the capacity of the Borough Council’s surface level car parks in order to make best use of the land subject to vitality, viability and accessibility objectives
- Provide support for the economic prosperity of the borough, and in particular key employment areas including Basing View, Viables, and Chineham Business Park
- Provide a sound basis for the setting of the Fees and Charges for Borough Council managed car parks taking into account the links to wider objectives
- Support the Borough Council’s Local Development Framework Core StrategyProvide support for access to services in smaller centres, both urban and rural (particularly in the light of limited access to public transport)
- Achieve improved access to railway stations in the borough subject to wider considerations, including the impact of improved station parking on congestion on approach roads
- Manage the impact of commuter and town centre office workers parking in residential areas
- Take forward the development of appropriate parking standards for a range of uses
