Planners have agreed to remove a car-free condition from a new Brighton development – but residents may still be denied a coveted parking permit.
When the four-home development at a former laundry in Crescent Road was given planning permission, a condition barred residents from securing Zone J parking permits.
Some residents have been able to get permits anyway because Brighton and Hove City Council planning officers forgot to tell the parking department.
The planning condition has now been revoked – but the council’s parking department is now intending to issue a traffic regulation order (TRO) banning them in that way instead.
The kerfuffle was revealed during a debate at Wednesday’s Planning Committee into an application by one of its residents Jini Coroneo to remove the condition.
In her application, she argued this would be in line with government guidance that parking restrictions are decided by transport rather than planning officers.
However, her application was opposed by Round Hill residents’ representative Dominic Furlong, who said the area has “high parking stress” and is attempting to become a low-traffic neighbourhood.
He said: “The application itself fails to demonstrate capacity for on-street parking in the immediate vicinity of the site, and in the surrounding area, and fails to include an on-street parking survey as required under policy SPD14 (Parking Standards).
“We appreciate the council’s eagerness to avoid the use of negatively worded planning conditions in the wake of lost appeals and the recent change in national planning guidelines. ”
Planning agent Colm McKee, speaking on behalf of the development’s residents, said car-free conditions are “no longer used or appropriate”.
He said: “Such conditions are considered beyond the scope of planning.
“Such conditions needlessly complicate and duplicate the process.”
Mr McKee said refusing the application to remove the car-free condition would be against national planning policy and recent Planning Inspectorate’s appeal decisions.
Gavin Stubbs spoke on behalf of his neighbours and said they were seeking one permit for each of the four houses.
He said the nearest option for parking outside Zone J is at least a 15-minute walk away.
Mr Stubbs said: “We understand the concerns raised by local residents, and we are part of that community.
“However, any constraints within this area around the street are don’t think are valid because there is plenty of space in surrounding streets.
“From my perspective, any decision should be taken on the zone, not on the street.”
Following Mr Stubb’s statement, planning manager Jane Moseley said the application was “not the mechanism” to get the parking permits, as parking department officers had the power to decide and adjust any traffic regulation order.
Labour councillor Daniel Yates voted with the recommendation to remove the condition.
He said the proposals sought to regularise the “highly irregular” and hoped a new policy would come through the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, which would consider the impact of developments within new controlled parking zones.
Conservative councillor Carol Theobald voted to refuse removing the car-free condition.
She said: “It’s a shame they didn’t get parking on site at the time. I don’t really like car-free developments, but I’m glad they’ve imposed this.
“This was approved on the basis that residents’ parking permits would not be available.”
Green councillor Sue Shanks backed Councillor Theobald.
She said: “I get that they can still be stopped from having parking permits.
“But we did agree this was car-free and local residents are keen for it to remain that way.”
The committee voted five for and two against removing the condition.
Parking in Brighton and Hove is extremely stressful.
We don’t all live close to bus stops.
We can’t all cycle.
Some of us need to drive for work.
I think everyone who pays council tax in the city should be given an access all areas pass for up to two hours in any given parking space per day.
I imagine more people might then use smaller businesses close to town, rather than having to spend on Amazon/online due to the ridiculous parking costs.
Just my thoughts… I’m sure many will disagree entirely as ‘car free city’ is the main prize!
Have you considered joining a car club?
Not the first time they have done this developers say they will build but properties will not need parking and none will be provided and also they won’t to allowed to put in for residents parking Then when building starts they miraculously are allowed to claim residents parking permits on the property
One of the primary reasons for the parking problems we face is conversion of peoperties into flats without any provision for extra parking. So the original requirement for a carfree development was entirely sensible. Shame on the planning officers for not telling their colleagues in the transport department, though.
This latest squabble shows just how intellectually bankrupt the city’s transport strategy is.
We can’t have an ever-expanding city with thousands of new flats meaning so many more people, and yet there is no additional road building or improvements to public transport.
Instead the planning officers are told to only recommend ‘car-free developments’ which then creates an apartheid system where some people are allowed parking permits and others are not. This is like saying the planning department decides how we get to work. Do they also tell residents which jobs they can and cannot apply for?
It is naive in the extreme to assume all new city centre dwellings are full of people who only work locally, and that they can therefore all walk or cycle to their offices.
And if, like me, you actually live in an upper floor flat in Brighton and Hove you’ll already know how difficult it is to own a bicycle – when any storage outside your home means the bike will soon be stolen. I’ve lost two so far.
The idea that Brighton and Hove will ever be a ‘car-free city’ is naive in the extreme. If we want that then let’s have some investment in a better bus service or perhaps a cross-city tramway.
Ah, right. No money you say. Then keep squabbling over who has the right to pay for a parking space which ironically, is one of the major sources of council income.
Have you applied for a bicycle hanger or considered joining a car club?