Brentwood Borough Council Parking Strategy
Description
In 2021 Parking Perspectives were commissioned to support Brentwood Borough Council in developing a parking strategy for its three main towns of Brentwood, Shenfield and Ingatestone. The strategy was to cover a short to medium timeframe covering the next 5-10 years.
Challenges
A number of changes and challenges were being presented:
- The Covid-19 pandemic had seen a significant acceleration in the changes to the way people worked and bought goods.
- Over 850,000 square feet of office had been lost to residential use
- The Council’s acquisition of the BayTree shopping centre as part of a major regeneration initiative for the town
- An initiative to redevelop the Brentwood’s main surface car park
- The opening of the Elizabeth line (Crossrail) in 2022
- Continued competition from other areas, specifically large out of town shopping centers such as Lakeside and Bluewater that promoted free parking.
- Decisions regarding the retention and refurbishment of current multi-storey parking stock.
Approach
The project will include a consultation programme covering councillor, officers, joint-venture development teams and key stakeholders. Planning in the right amount of parking is an important requirement to ensure the efficiency and economic success of the town. It has been a key consideration to recognise that parking needs change over the course of the day, and the types of demand put upon parking vary by time of day, and time of year. Analysis of parking data from all the Council’s car parks to generate a robust picture of use over the year has supported an assessment of potential capacity loss and replacement needs.
The project will be minded of the importance to make the whole customer journey positive, including signing to car parks, security and quality of the facility, the payment options provided and onward access routes to the commercial areas. Recommendations will include action on facilities for those with access needs, and those arriving on bicycles.
Related Project: Colchester Parking Strategy Report
