16.10.18 Parking in the Curtilage of Protected Structures and in Conservation Areas

Parking in the Curtilage of Protected Structures and in Conservation Areas

Poorly designed off-street parking in the front gardens of protected structures and in conservation areas can have an adverse affect on the special interest and character of these sensitive buildings and areas. For this reason, proposals for offstreet parking in the front gardens of such buildings will not normally be acceptable where inappropriate site conditions exist, particularly in the case of smaller gardens where the scale of intervention is more significant – and can lead to the erosion of the character and amenity of the area. However, where site conditions exist which facilitate parking provision without significant loss of visual amenity and historic fabric, proposals for limited off-street parking will be considered where the following criteria can be met: ­

  • Every reasonable effort is made to protect the integrity of the protected structure and/or conservation area ­
  • There is sufficient depth available in the garden to accommodate a private parked car ­
  • Access to and egress from the proposed parking space will not give rise to a traffic hazard ­
  • The proposal accords with the design criteria set out in Chapter 16 ­
  • The remaining soft landscaped area to the front of the structures should generally be in excess of half of the total area of the front garden space, exclusive of car parking area, footpaths and hard surfacing ­
  • Car parking shall be designed so that it is set-back from the house and front boundary wall to avoid excessive impact on the protected structure ­
  • Car parking bays shall be no greater than 5 m x 3 m metres wide ­
  • The proposed vehicular entrance should, where possible, be combined with the existing pedestrian entrance so as to form an entrance no greater than 2.6 m and this combined entrance should be no greater than half the total width of the garden at the road boundary. The gates shall not swing outwards so as to cause an obstruction on the public footpath. ­
  • Where cast iron railings exist, which contribute to the special character of the structure, every effort will be made to preserve and to maintain the maximum amount of original form and construction through minimum intervention. Any original existing gates, piers and cast iron railings that require alterations shall be reused and integrated with all new parking ­
  • Adaptations to the front boundary ­
  • Special regard will be had to circumstances where on-street parking facilities are restricted as a consequence of the introduction of bus priority measures or other traffic management changes. In such situations, every reasonable effort will be made to facilitate proposals for off-street parking in the front gardens of protected structures and in conservation areas subject to the above criteria being met.

Proposals for off-street parking in the front gardens of protected structures and within conservation areas will not be permitted in the following circumstances: ­

  • Where satisfactory vehicular access to the rear garden exists or can be easily provided without compromising personal safety and where sufficient rear garden area is available to meet both the parking and open space requirements of the building ­
  • Where there is insufficient area to accommodate a parked car in the front garden or where the proposal relates to vehicles other than a private car (i.e.caravan/boat)
  • Where proposals would result in the removal of the entire front boundary of the property ­
  • Where the development would involve the subdivision of original historic communal front areas (shared by two houses or more) into separate driveways and where this would detract seriously from the unique architectural relationship and composition of the buildings and street ­
  • Where off-street parking is proposed in terraces or streets that are characterised largely by pedestrian entrances with few vehicular access openings, such proposals will be examined on their own merits and will be subject to the criteria outlined above ­
  • Where terraces/streets are characterised by railings of unique significance, which are of a type not found largely throughout the city, the planning authority may seek to retain such railings. Similarly, proposals to provide more than one private car within the curtilage of an owner occupied residential building will only be considered in exceptional circumstances where the integrity of the building or area is protected and retained.