Agenda item

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Parr)

Report of Chief Officer Sustainable Growth (report published on 29.2.24)

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Parr)

Cabinet received a report from the Chief Officer Sustainable Growth to consider the draft Lancaster City Centre Car Parking Strategy and Action Plan and the implications on achieving the city council’s objectives as set out in the recently approved Council Plan 2024-27.

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:

Following Members’ consideration and confirmation the Strategy meets the council’s objectives and its wider policy aspirations, Option 1 is preferred.

Concerns from the business community, about the long-term provision of public parking, and general parking are understood. Through the draft Lancaster City Centre Car Parking Strategy and Action Plan, alongside ongoing work with county council, the issue will be addressed at a strategic city-wide level, with appreciation of the statutory strategic policy imperatives the city council is working within.

Principally these are: its declared Climate Emergency, the Lancaster Highways and Transport Masterplan 2016, and the need to promote modal shift towards sustainable forms of transport such as cycling, walking and public transport. All of these matters have to be balanced pragmatically with the need to maintain sufficient car parking for general city centre economic health and accessibility.

The council recognises that having an appropriate level of car parking in the city is important to support the economy and provide a range and choice of transport options and to ensure accessibility for the less mobile and populations underserved by public transport. The draft Strategy and Action Plan is one element of the council’s effort to continue to provide an appropriate number of parking spaces to support the local economy. This will include making best use of the spare capacity that already exists in other car parks within the city to reduce any potential impacts.

Councillor Parr proposed, seconded by Councillor Wood:-

“That the recommendations, as set out in the report, be approved.”

Councillors then voted:-

Resolved unanimously:

(1)        That the draft Lancaster City Centre Car Parking Strategy and Action Plan is approved for consultation with statutory and community stakeholders and a report on consultation / final version is presented to Cabinet at a future meeting.

(2)        That maintaining an optimal and efficiently managed quantity of public car parking provision in and around Lancaster city centre is a key priority for the city council, and its long-term provision, location and typology should form an explicit part of the sustainable travel and transport policy agenda for the city.

(3)        That the draft strategy provides Cabinet with sufficient comfort, in terms of the ongoing maintenance of city centre economic health, city centre accessibility and car user utility, for the release of the Nelson streetcar park for housing to be considered under the current live preferred developer tender process (Agenda item 14 exempt report refers).

(4)        That the following specific outcomes and actions contained in the draft Strategy document are noted:

            · The ongoing maintenance of between 1300 and 1400 physical council operated and publicly available off-street parking spaces is considered optimal in order to continue to meet general and peak demand periods for the immediate future.

             · The feasibility and implementation of temporary additional parking provision is undertaken at specific city council owned sites, including within the Canal Quarter and Kingsway, to mitigate any short to medium term impacts arising from the potential disposal of the Nelson Street car park.

(5)        That a request to utilise £15,000 of unallocated reserves is approved to fund the feasibility, design development and implementation of temporary car park provision and other short to medium term actions referred to in the Parking Strategy Action Plan.

 (6)      That future proposed development/disposal of surface car parks for other use / development is considered against the objectives of the wider city council policy framework as well as the following specific matters:

            · The aims and objectives of the Lancaster Parking Strategy and Action Plan. · The outcomes from the proposed Lancaster City Centre Strategy and district Sustainable Travel Strategy.

            · Ongoing and improved monitoring of car park usage.

            · Progress in design development and delivery of temporary and permanent parking provision.

(7)        That Officers prepare a business case for the introduction of Automatic Number Plate Recognition across the city council’s parking portfolio to assist in developing the information base for future management and decisions.

(8)        That Officers prepare a report on actions required and timescale for the earliest possible reopening of the city council’s Castle car park to be considered at a future Cabinet meeting.

Officer responsible for effecting the decision:

Chief Officer Sustainable Growth

Reasons for making the decision:

The decision is consistent with the Council Plan:

 A Sustainable District – car parking provision and car use is a vital consideration in meeting the challenges of the council’s declared Climate Emergency.

An Inclusive and Prosperous Local Economy – building a sustainable and just local economy that benefits people and organisations needs to consider car parking provision as a key feature of accessibility for certain groups and communities.

Healthy and Happy Communities – tackling car parking provision and some of the negative consequences inherent in the current portfolio will contribute to healthy and happy community objectives.

 A Co-Operative, Kind and Responsible Council – further consultation and ongoing discussion with stakeholders will achieve the best outcomes for in tandem with running efficient quality public services, of which car parking provision is a key service provision.

Balancing the need and demand for accessible parking with the city's goals for sustainable transportation is a complex and multifaceted challenge. The Lancaster City Centre Parking Strategy and Action Plan is a document which seeks to both address business concerns, enable progress on and facilitate city council and wider public policy objectives, and to move the issue of car parking provision to the centre of the sustainable transport and travel discussion.