Page 266 - All files for Planning Inspectorate

Wealden House, Lewes Road, Ashurst Wood, East Grinstead, RH19 3TB

3.0 Analysis

3.1 The appeal scheme proposes car parking in accordance with the WSCC Parking Demand Calculator (as
it applied at the time of the planning application) and hence fully respects the NPPF’s requirement to
consider the type/mix of the development and local car ownership levels. Provision for electric vehicle
charging will be in accordance with all standards and is not a matter in dispute between the Council and
the Appellant.

3.2 WSCC did not recommend refusal of the planning application on grounds of insufficient car parking (or
any other reason) and positively reiterated that position following publication of its own revised parking
guidance in August 2019. Clearly, therefore, the Highway Authority considers that the proposed scheme
would not lead to overspill parking on the A22 or elsewhere.

3.3 In respect of NPPF paragraph 106, the Appellant is not seeking to apply maximum standards. On the
contrary, the appeal scheme proposes a level of parking provision that is consistent with local car
ownership data; a provision higher than the natural local demand would encourage increased car use,
which would contradict national and local policies aimed at promoting sustainable travel choices.

3.4 The NPPG is relevant because it promotes impact assessments and mitigation measures that reflect local
circumstances. The appeal scheme does this through its PDC based parking provision and the Travel
Plan Statement, which together ‘positively contribute by lessening traffic generation and its detrimental
impacts.’ The same cannot reasonably be said of the Council’s position, which in effect seeks to increase
parking provision beyond the natural local demand.
3.5 Policy DP21 of the Mid Sussex District Plan 2018 accords with the NPPF and NPPG to the extent that it
asks developments to consider the type, mix and use of the development; in this case the tenure and
number of habitable rooms. In relation to the availability and opportunities for public transport, the
appeal site is accessible by bus and rail and neither the Council nor the County Highway Authority has
suggested otherwise.

3.6 Whilst it is noted that the Mid Sussex Local Plan and the Ashurst Wood Neighbourhood Plan contain
higher parking standards than those promoted by the Highway Authority, both documents indicate that
a lower provision can be acceptable if sufficient evidence is provided. The Mid Sussex SPD states that
“where a lower provision is proposed, this will need to be justified on site specific grounds”, while the
Ashurst Wood Neighbourhood Plan accepts flexibility where “it can be satisfactorily demonstrated that
an alternative provision would be appropriate on a specific site.” The Planning Officer’s report dated 19th
September 2019 is therefore inaccurate in its suggestion that “Using this standard the scheme should
provide 93 spaces [our emphasis]. The scheme is therefore 26 spaces short of the District Council’s
standard.”

3.7 The WSCC Car Parking Demand Calculator is “a strongly evidence-led approach to residential parking in
new developments, to ensure that the number of parking spaces provided is appropriate to the location
and the characteristics of the development” (WSCC Guidance on Parking in New Residential
Development, 2010). It is based upon surveys of developments within the County and, consequently,
this strongly evidence based approach justifies an alternative car parking provision for a specific site.
3.8 Motion presented a further analysis based on local car/van ownership levels for the Ashurst Wood ward
to identify the existing car parking ownership levels in the area; this is the response referred to by the
Highway Officer in his further comments (paragraph 2.17 above) and summarised in paragraphs 3.9 to
3.11 below).
3.9 It is important to reiterate that the development proposes only flats, which typically exhibit lower car
ownership levels than houses. The 2011 Census data identifies 116 flats/maisonettes/apartments and
1,012 houses within the Ashurst Wood ward; clearly, this strong bias toward houses will influence car
ownership levels within Ashurst Wood as a whole. Table 3.1 below sets out the car ownership proportions
for flats within Ashurst Wood (note that the total number of units does not sum precisely due to
rounding).

Appeal Statement: Parking – December 2019
Ashgrove Homes 6
1911051/wheast
Bates No 000265