Housebuilders in East Lothian may have to provide far fewer parking spaces in the future as the council considers changes aimed at reducing car use in towns.
Midlothian Council is set to give the go ahead to changes this week which will drastically reduce the number of spaces required at new developments and East Lothian Council has said it will also be reviewing its current guidelines.
The changes follow new Scottish Government policies which give priority to developers who propose ambitious low or no car parking plans.
A report due to go before Midlothian’s elected councillors this week from officers outlines changes including reducing the number of car park spaces for visitors to housing estates from one for every two homes to one for every 20 on urban sites.
They will also reduce the number of spaces for users of new sports facilities with any stadium built with over 1500 capacity allowed no more than one space for every 150 seats.
A report due to go before Midlothian Council’s planning committee next week for agreement says the new standards have been influenced by the Scottish Government’s goal of reducing private car use.
It says previous policy which advised developers the minimum number of spaces required for housing will be replaced with new rules setting out the maximum allowed.
The new standards will also require that 10 per cent of visitor spaces provided have an electric charger in place alongside minimum cycle parking places and EV charger spaces being introduced across all new developments.
A spokesperson for East Lothian Council said that while no changes have been made to its parking standards policy ‘yet’ it was about to be reviewed.
They said: “These standards will be reviewed as part of the preparation of our new Local Development Plan.
“This review will have regard to the Scottish Government’s recent national planning policy stating that development proposals which are ambitious in terms of low/no car parking will be supported, particularly in urban locations well-served by sustainable transport modes and where they do not create barriers to access by disabled people.”
By Marie Sharp Local Democracy Reporter
