Where will you be parking your car in 15 years’ time?
CHANCE TO HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE FUTURE OF PARKING IN CITY CENTRE
HOW and, most importantly where, will we be parking our cars and vans in 15 years time?
Those questions are being asked by Hull City Council as part of a new consultation on future parking policies for the city centre.
With up to 2,500 new homes and apartments planned for the area over the next decade, parking space is certainly going to be tight.
The council’s new parking strategy will attempt to provide some answers by mapping out practical ways of making sure workers, residents and visitors can still drive into the city centre and park up without too much hassle.
And you can add your thoughts on how this all might work. Here’s everything you need to know about the consultation.
Look at the proposals and give your views
A mobile one-stop shop promoting the strategy took to the road this week for people to hop on, ask questions and give their views.
The consultation bus will be outside the North Point shopping centre in Bransholme today from 10am to noon.
It then motors across to Tesco in Hall Road, Orchard Park, where it will be open from 1pm to 5pm.
What is it is all about?
The strategy aims to manage parking demand in the city centre in response to new developments and promote greener modes of travel.
It will provide guidance on the implementation of policies in the Hull Local Plan 2016 to 2032, with particular relevance to the city centre, transport and environmental policies of the plan.
What are we likely to see happening on the ground?
New developments, particularly residential schemes, will be required to include a certain amount of parking spaces.
For example, there are already plans for a new 640-space multi-storey car park as part of the Albion Square development to replace the existing 298-space surface car park in Albion Street.
Will car parking charges change?
Almost certainly. The consultation will include a review of the current pricing regime with the aim of encouraging commuters to use public transport, park and ride services and cycling as alternatives to the car.
As a result, it’s likely that the amount of long-stay parking for commuters in the city centre will be reduced over time.
In addition, a review of residents’ parking permits for new housing schemes is expected to be carried out. The idea is to offer residents more access to long-stay car parking provision, freeing up on-street spaces for shoppers and visitors.
What about coach parking?
At the moment, the city centre does not have a dedicated coach park. Instead, drivers usually drop visitors off and then park outside the city centre.
With space at a premium, it’s thought that identifying more drop-off and pick-up points is the way forward.
Where do electric vehicles fit in with the plans?
New vehicle charging points are expected to be rolled out across the city centre over the next decade as more motorists switch to electric cars and vans.
Some already exist in a handful of car parks but, as technology develops, charging points could eventually be installed in lampposts and roadside bollards.
Where more details about the plans can be found
The consultation runs until midnight on November 30. The council’s supplementary planning document covering city centre parking can be viewed during normal opening hours at the following locations: the Wilson Centre, Alfred Gelder Street; the Guildhall, Alfred Gelder Street; the History Centre, Worship Street, and all customer service centres and libraries.
You can submit comments directly online at www.hull.gov.uk/resident/planningand-building-control/supplementaryplanning-documents
Alternatively, you can email planning. policy@hullcc.gov.uk or send a letter to FREEPOST RSJC-KKBE-ABXZ, Planning Services, Hull City Council, PO Box 15, Hull, HU1 2AB.