Parking strategies.
Parking strategies that justify the right amount of parking: enough to work, not so much that it undermines the scheme or the planning case.
Also known as: parking strategy, parking assessment, parking provision, parking accumulation
What’s included.
Too little parking leads to overspill concerns. Too much wastes land and money and can cut against sustainable transport policy. A parking strategy sets out the right number, the right mix and how it will be managed.
- Local standards and how they apply
- Car ownership and demand evidence
- Accumulation and occupancy surveys
- EV charging, disabled and cycle parking
- Overspill risk and management
- Phasing and future flexibility
Straightforward, proportionate, agreed early.
Evidence-led
Census car ownership, surveys and comparable sites, not guesswork.
Policy-aware
Numbers that sit comfortably with the council’s standards and sustainable transport policy.
Managed
A clear plan for how spaces are allocated and controlled.
Questions we get asked
Can we provide less parking than the standard?
Often, if the location and evidence support it. We set out the case clearly.
Do parking surveys help?
Yes, especially overnight surveys on nearby streets to show there is spare capacity.
What about EV charging?
Building Regulations Part S requires EV charge points in many new homes and non-residential buildings. We include it in the strategy.
Often needed alongside.
What a parking strategy does
A parking strategy explains how much parking a scheme needs and why, and how it will be used. It is most useful where provision departs from the local standard, or where parking is shared between uses that peak at different times.
- Evidence of demand, from car ownership data, comparable sites or surveys.
- Shared use between homes, offices or shops that are busy at different times of day.
- How the scheme encourages walking, cycling and bus use, so fewer spaces are needed.
- How overspill onto nearby streets will be avoided or managed.
Last reviewed October 2026 by Ripple Development Planning. Policy and guidance change; for advice on a specific site, send us the details.
From our insights.
Need help with parking strategies?
Send us the location and what's proposed. We'll tell you what it needs, with a fixed fee.