Car parking is not a fixed allowance per home
London Plan T6 links parking restrictions to connectivity and accessibility. Car-free development is the starting point in well-connected locations, while borough policy and the particular site remain relevant. The policy's parking standards are maxima, not an entitlement to fill a site with that number of spaces. [1]
Disabled persons' parking and access still require consideration. T6 also addresses parking design and management and does not treat the absence of existing on-street controls as an automatic reason to abandon a car-free approach. Establish the local position rather than assuming residents will be entitled to a street permit. [1]
For feasibility, ask the council to confirm the policy and permit arrangements applicable to the address. Show how any proposed spaces would be accessed and managed, and keep them coordinated with entrances, landscaping and other site functions.
The temporary cycle standards run to March 2028
The March 2026 Support for Housebuilding guidance introduced temporary residential long-stay cycle-parking standards applying until 31 March 2028. Rates depend on the dwelling size and the borough's band. These are minimum cycle requirements, unlike the maximum car-parking approach. [2]
For illustration, the guidance gives the following long-stay rates per dwelling:
- In Band 1, one space for a studio or one-bedroom home, 1.5 for a two-bedroom home and 1.9 for a home with three or more bedrooms.
- In Band 3, the equivalent rates are 0.7, 1.2 and 1.5 spaces.
Camden is in Band 1 and Bromley in Band 3. Confirm the relevant band and calculate the scheme's requirement from its actual housing mix; do not assume the same figure applies across London. [2]
Storage must work as a route and a space
Show how a resident reaches the store, opens its doors and uses the proposed racks. A cycle symbol on a plan does not establish that a store will be convenient or usable. The March guidance also allows consideration of managed alternatives, but these need to be justified rather than treated as an automatic waiver. [2]
Where in-home storage is accepted, the space must be additional to the minimum internal accommodation, required storage and private amenity space. It should not take over a habitable room. Avoid double-counting a required cupboard or balcony as the cycle solution. [2]
Coordinate EV charging and future policy
Where new dwellings have associated parking, Part S can require charging infrastructure. Its application and cost-limit provisions need a separate technical check; a planning parking layout does not complete that assessment. [3]
The draft replacement London Plan was still under consultation on 2 October 2026. Record both its proposed changes and the end date of the temporary cycle arrangements so that a later application does not rely on expired guidance. [4] [2]