Car Free and Low Car Housing Development

9.64 Within urban areas where accessibility is generally high and there is good availability of public transport and essential facilities, there may be the opportunity to promote totally car-free housing developments or low car schemes where vehicles are shared by way of Car Clubs. This would support objectives of reducing reliance upon the private car and the promotion of sustainable development. The Council has granted permission for new housing developments within Halifax Town Centre and other locations, which do not have car parking associated with them. However, there may be demands from residents to seek to have a car and to park these either on-street or in Council car parks. This undermines the overall aim of car free housing developments. It may, therefore, be necessary to introduce parking controls alongside new car free housing developments to ensure that they remain genuinely 'car free'.

9.65 Car Clubs are becoming popular throughout Europe, and have potential for development within the UK. They can reduce car dependence, create more sustainable patterns of development, make more efficient use of land and promote good design in new housing developments, all of which support the Council’s planning objectives. The Yorkshire and Humber Assembly published a Good Practice Guide for Low Car Housing Schemes in January 2002, which should be referred to in developing any Car Club Scheme.

9.66 This type of housing development will only work where there are management controls in place to ensure compliance as follows:-

  1. residents must be made aware that by living in a designated car free development or Car Club Scheme development they do not qualify for Residents’ Parking Permits;
  2. residents must be required to provide an undertaking not to keep a car either within the development or on-street within the District;
  3. the developer should enter into a legal agreement with the Council confirming the car free or Car Club Scheme status of the development; and
  4. adequate on-street parking controls are in place or are implemented before the development is occupied.

9.67 As a result the following Policy will apply:-

Policy T 21

Car Free and Low Car Ownership Housing

Planning permission will be granted for Car Free Housing or for Low Car Ownership Housing development where:-
  1. the development is located where there is good access to public transport and local services and where there are complementary on-street parking controls;
  2. it can be demonstrated that the development will remain genuinely car free or low car owning over the long term (implementation of this will be secured through conditions or a planning obligation);
  3. the development creates no unacceptable environmental, amenity, traffic, safety, or other problems; and
  4. the development complies with the requirements of other relevant UDP policies.

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