16.38 Car Parking Standards
The Dublin City Council area is divided into three areas for the purpose of parking control, as shown on Map J. Parking Zone 1 is generally within an inner city location where transport corridors intersect, or that has significant interchange potential. Parking Zone 2 occurs alongside transport corridors and the remainder of the city falls under Parking Zone 3. Parking is an integral element of overall land-use and transportation policy within the city, and the purpose of the parking standards set out in Tables 16.1 and 16.2 is to ensure that an appropriate level of parking is provided to serve new development. The tables specify the requisite level of on-site parking to be provided for residents, staff and visitors for various types of development.
Car parking provision in Zones 1 and 2 is restricted on account of the proximity of these locations to public transport. An increased density of development will be promoted in Zone 1 and those parts of Zone 2 where the development is in close proximity to good public transport links.
Where a potential development site falls on the boundary of two or more parking zones, it is at the discretion of the planning authority to decide the appropriate level of car parking to serve the development having regard to the location of the site and its accessibility to existing and proposed public transport facilities.
The car parking standards set out in Table 16.1 shall be generally regarded as the maximum parking provision and parking provision in excess of these maximum standards shall only be permitted in exceptional circumstances e.g. boundary areas, or where necessary for the sustainable development of a regeneration area (see Chapter 15). It is the intention of the planning authority that such relaxations in car parking standards shall only apply until such time as a similar accessibilitybased parking policy and parking standards as applicable to the Dublin City Council area are adopted by the adjoining planning authorities in the Dublin metropolitan area.
Zone 2 parking standards should be applicable in key district centres as these areas are a focus for integrated land-use/ transportation and generally allow for higher densities.
Parking provision below the maximum may be permitted provided it does not impact negatively on the amenities of surrounding properties or areas and there is no potential negative impact on traffic safety. In addition, the planning authority may require the maximum number of car parking spaces specified in Table 16.1 to be further reduced where it is considered that the surrounding road network is not sufficient to cater for the volume of traffic likely to be generated by the proposed development. Given the high accessibility by public transport to Zone 1 there shall be no minimum requirement for car parking in that zone.
A relaxation of maximum car parking standards will be considered for any site within parking Zone 1 (as illustrated on Map J) provided it is located in close proximity to quality public transport, and subject to requirements below. (There will also be no car storage requirement.) This relaxation of the standards will apply to residential developments where the applicant sets out a clear case satisfactorily demonstrating a lack of parking need for the development based on factors including:
- Locational suitability and advantages
- Ease of access to alternative and sustainable transport modes
- Availability of car sharing/car clubs and/ or charging points for electric vehicles.
It will also be necessary to adequately demonstrate that the lack of car parking on the site should not reasonably give rise to negative impacts on the amenities of surrounding properties or on the immediate street once the development is occupied. The surrounding built context must hence be taken into account, including parking arrangements/restrictions and general parking availability in the vicinity.
There is a predisposition to consider residential off-street car parking, subject to design and safety criteria, particularly along Quality Bus Corridors (QBCs) and to facilitate traffic management proposals. However, proposals for off-street parking in the front gardens of single dwellings in predominantly residential areas will not be permitted where residents are largely reliant on on-street car parking and there is a strong demand for such parking.