On Plot or Car Barn?

Car free neighbourhoods are not a new concept, many examples exist across Europe, particularly in countries like Denmark and Germany. Car free developments or Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTN) are also increasingly popular (although often controversial) in the UK and have been the common in London for a number of years.

Research from the RAC suggests that the average British car is parked up for round 23 hours a day and spent just 4.4 percent of the 2018-19 financial year on the move, whiling away almost three-quarters of its time parked at its owner’s home address. This is coupled with declining car use among millennials and city dwellers who see car sharing as the more cost effective and greener way forward. Certainly, in our biggest cities, car-free development and the use of car clubs is becoming the norm; however, the model has been harder to adopt in new development in our regional towns, especially within older populations, where car ownership is more engrained. Indeed, when promoting car sharing and citing the amount of space that a car takes up when sitting unused, I was once told that this sentiment could equally apply to a toilet, but there was no debate about sharing this facility with the neighbours!

Nonetheless, planning policy has adapted to discourage car ownership. The?National Planning Policy Framework?states that, ‘Planning policies and decisions should support development that makes efficient use of land, taking into account… the scope to promote sustainable travel modes that limit future car use’.

Reducing the number of parking spaces without thought can however have a detrimental impact. We have all seen bad examples of new development where cars are parked nose to tail kerbside, on the pavements and in front gardens, creating a hostile environment that is hard to navigate by bike or on foot (let alone by wheelchair or with a pram) and which obstructs necessary traffic such as waste collection and emergency vehicles. ?For many in society, the car also represents freedom, flexibility, and independence, so how could this problem be better dealt with?

Parking barns are gaining more prominence in the UK. they are, in essence, remote, secure parking locations within a new development for the use of its residents. This allows whole areas of the new development to be car free, as residents would have to park their cars in the barn away from the residential area. Parking barns can also be located in the least attractive locations across the site. There is, of course, provision for people with disabilities and servicing.

Such an approach creates an environment that can be more landscape led, designed around people rather than cars to help create a pleasant environment and a series of well-connected streets. The additional ‘available space’ for each dwelling that can be used as social area or garden is also a key benefit.?

So, what is key to making the concept work?

·????????New residents need to be aware of the sustainable options available to them and have realistic alternatives to travel by car;

·????????Cycle parking needs to be provided on plot and be easily accessible as people leave their homes;

·????????Security is key, both in the barn area and on route to people’s homes, so people are happy to walk in the dark without fear;

·????????The parking barn needs to be well maintained to ensure people are comfortable leaving their vehicles parked;

·????????The barns need to be ‘active’ hubs; more than a car park, it should include facilities such as e-commerce collection points (e.g., Amazon lockers), community uses and / or shared cycle hire etc.

If we have really now reached ‘peak car use’ as many now infer, giving up our on-plot parking spaces will deliver a number of landscape and environmental benefits and seems a sensible solution if well designed from the outset. Ultimately, as our relationship with the car evolves, the barns can be put to alternative use, be that for community benefit or something else, making the car barn a good alternative to traditional masterplanning with on-plot parking.

Taking the example of the nudge theory successfully applied in supermarkets by charging ten pence for a carrier bag, it is likely that having to walk or cycle a couple of minutes to your car barn will lead to more people using these modes to complete their journey, especially for shorter trips. In terms of changing the attitude to cars and car use, a slight physical separation from our vehicles is a healthy move - we are all guilty of jumping in the car for convenience because it is right outside our door. By physically putting the car at arm’s length, we can start the process of divorcing ourselves from the conviction that we are wholly dependent upon it.

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by Damian Tungatt