Draft Parking Strategy 2024-2034
Have your say.
Consultation status ArchivedActivity closed. Results published.
Background
West Berkshire Council has an important role in managing and enforcing parking provision within the district and is given powers to do this under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, the Road Traffic Act 1991, the Traffic Management Act 2004, the Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions Regulations 2022, and the Transport Act 2000.
As a local authority responsible for all aspects of parking in the district we are looking to establish a Parking Strategy, which we will review every 10 years, that explains our goals and priorities such as keeping our roads clear for traffic to move freely and controlling inconsiderate or unauthorised parking. This builds on our 
Parking Policy [1MB] , which was adopted in 2008.
The last few years have seen a considerable change; the impacts of Covid-19, in particular, have seen increased working from home and consumer spending moving online and away from high streets, leading to a huge growth in home deliveries. The focus on the environment is also seeing a change to electric vehicles with different infrastructure requirements to petrol- and diesel-engined vehicles.
We can use our parking powers to positively influence the environmental impact of travel in West Berkshire and in conjunction with our place-making strategies, protect and enhance the economic vitality of our town centres and the development of a strategy supports this. Within our rural setting, there remains some reliance of the use of motor vehicles but equally we must consider the climate emergency and the need to facilitate greener and more sustainable forms of transportation to enable residents' and visitors' continued enjoyment of West Berkshire.
How we developed our draft strategy
In developing our
Draft Parking Strategy 2024-2034 [1MB] , we reviewed the demand for and availability of parking, and carried out extensive engagement with internal departments and councillors.
We've also considered national and local policies and strategies, such as our Local Transport Plan (LTP), which works alongside the emerging Local Plan, and other strategies designed to help deliver our council wide priorities, including the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle Strategy, the Bus Service Improvement Plan, the Council Strategy 2023-2027, and the West Berkshire Vision 2036.
We've drawn this information together and have developed a draft strategy that:
- provides a clear direction for the overall management and enforcement of publicly-available parking within West Berkshire
- determines how parking is charged
- determines the parking capacity required
- determines the infrastructure and other assets required to meet these and other Council objectives
- determines how parking can promote sustainable transport solutions and an improved public realm
- considers how changing technology will affect the service provided in the future
- determines the appropriate level of parking provision for those with restricted mobility
- determines the appropriate level of parking provision for vehicles other than cars
Why we want your views
We'd like to understand what vehicles you have and how often you use them, what sustainable transport option you prefer to use, and which of our parking services you use, e.g. resident parking permits.
We'd like your views on our draft strategy, specifically our proposals for:
- car parks - how they operate, availability and payment methods
- on-street parking places including accessible parking
- parking charges and user discounts
- season tickets and resident permits
- enforcement
- other vehicle parking
- electric vehicle charging and availability
We'd also welcome your opinion on what else you'd like us to consider or include.
How to take part
If you'd like to comment on our draft strategy, please complete our survey by midnight on Sunday 12 November 2023. It should take about 10 minutes.
If you have any questions about the consultation, please email parking@westberks.gov.uk or call Parking Services on 01635 519213.
For general enquiries about Parking Services, please visit our webpage.
What happens next
All the feedback we receive will be used to shape the final Parking Strategy 2024-2034 which will be considered by elected members at the Executive Meeting being held on Thursday, 8 February 2024.
Following this, the final strategy will be published on our Strategies, Policies and Plans and our Parking webpages.
An annual monitoring report will be published on our Parking webpages during 2025, to assess the achievements of the final strategy.
What you told us
There were 36 proposals in all, with specific questions asked about 26 of them. We intend to proceed with the remaining 10 actions, e.g. PC6 - Considering back-office software for improved information and a better customer experience. More general questions were also included where consultees had the opportunity to express their opinion and put forward new or alternative suggestions.
For 22 of the 26 proposals, where specific feedback was sought, most respondents agreed with them. However, a higher number of respondents disagreed rather than agreed with proposals PC1, RP2 and RP4 and SU1, and these were reviewed:
- PC1 – Charging hours: Parking charges where they apply, are all day every day across West Berkshire unless there is a good justification for not doing so.
- RP2 – Resident Permit charges: To incentivise sustainable and active travel, a premium will be applied to second permits. Discounts can be applied where this contributes to other Council aims.
- RP4 – Visitor Permit charges: Subject to the annual fees and charges approval process, the cost for a Resident Permit-Holder to purchase larger quantities of visitor permits in any year will be increased. This is to protect the integrity of the scheme and ensure that spaces are available for genuine visitors.
- SU1 – Zero Emission Vehicles: to encourage the transition to ZEV’s, a discounted rate for parking will be offered to users The discount will be reviewed annually and reduced or discontinued as more ZEVs are used.
What we did
For further information, please email parking@westberks.gov.uk.
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