12.12 Car Parking
12.12 Car parking
In assessing development proposals, the Planning Authority will use the standards set out in Table 12.3 below. Such facilities shall cater for the immediate and anticipated future demands of the development, and where car parking provision on site is not possible, or desirable for other valid reasons, the Council may consider the payment of a financial contribution in lieu.
Where car parking is provided on site, spaces shall generally be provided behind established building lines in each development and shall be screened. The dimension of car parking bays shall be 4.8m by 2.4m. Accessible parking bays (including transfer hatching to side and rear) shall be 6.0m x 3.7m (See Section 12.13 Age Friendly and Accessible Parking). Developers should consult Building for Everyone: A Universal Design Approach. Car parking areas shall be constructed having regard to drainage, surfacing and ancillary matters. They should be provided with proper public lighting facilities and shall be clearly demarcated. All car parking areas should be properly landscaped by the provision of trees, shrubs and grassed areas in order to ensure that damage to the visual amenities is avoided. In residential schemes parking should be secure and attractive and should be provided as close as possible to the dwellings served.
In all developments of an industrial or commercial nature, developers will be required to provide loading or unloading facilities sufficient to meet the demand of such development. Off-street loading facilities shall conform to the following requirements:
- Each required space shall not be less than 3.75m in width, 6.0m in length and 4.25m in height, exclusive of drives and manoeuvring space and located entirely on the site being served.
- There shall be appropriate means of access to a street or road as well as adequate manoeuvring space.
- The maximum width of the driveway opening onto the street boundary will be 6m and the minimum width shall be 3.75m.
Table 12.3: Car Parking Standards[1] |
|
Land Use |
Parking Spaces per Unit |
Dwelling House
|
2 car parking spaces per unit 0.25 spaces per unit for visitor parking |
Apartments[2] |
1.25 spaces per unit 0.25 spaces per unit for visitor parking |
Schools |
1 space for every classroom plus 4 additional spaces |
Churches, theatres, public halls |
1 car space per 10 seats |
Hotels, hostels and guesthouses |
1 car space per bedroom |
Public houses, incl hotel bar |
1 car space per 10 m2 of bar and lounge floor area |
Hotel function rooms |
1 space per 10 m2 |
Shopping centres, supermarkets, Department stores |
1 space per 25 m2 gross floor area |
Shops |
1 space per 20 m2 gross floor area |
Restaurants, cafes |
1 car space per 20 m2 gross floor area |
Banks and offices |
1 car space per 15 m2 of gross floor area and additional space to be determined by the Planning Authority |
Industry |
1 car space for every 60m2 of gross industrial floor area and operational space to be determined by the Planning Authority. |
Warehousing
|
Each application will be determined by the Planning Authority |
Retail Warehousing |
1 car space for every 35 m2 of net retail floor space |
Golf |
4 car spaces per hole |
Par 3 golf courses or Pitch and Putt courses |
2 spaces per hole |
Sports grounds and sports clubs |
I space per 15m2 |
Golf driving ranges, Shooting ranges |
1 space per bay/ trap plus 3 spaces |
Clinics and Medical Practices |
3 car spaces per consulting room plus staff |
Hospital |
1.50 spaces per bed |
Nursing Home |
1 space per 4 bedrooms plus staff |
Crèche/Childcare |
1 space per 4 children plus 1 space per employee |
One of the cross-cutting themes of the Development Plan is to encourage a shift to more sustainable forms of transport. The provision of sufficient car parking is important particularly in areas of the County which are currently poorly served by public transport networks. Therefore, the rationale for the application of car parking standards is to ensure that consideration is given to the accommodation of vehicles in assessing development proposals while being mindful of the need to promote a shift towards more sustainable forms of transport. Relaxation of the guidance in the table will be considered on a case by case basis.
In the case of any use not specified above, the Planning Authority will determine the parking requirements, having regard to the traffic levels likely to be generated as a result of the development.
Where a number of uses are contained within one development, the various uses shall be separated and the overall parking requirements for the development shall be assessed relative to each separate use in order to compute the overall parking requirement for the development (e.g. in a hotel the function rooms, bars etc. shall be assessed as separate from the bedroom provision).
However, where a developer can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Planning Authority that parking spaces will be utilised throughout the day by a number of different users, availing of different facilities within a proposed development, the Planning Authority may, in the interest of sustainability, take this multi-use into account when assessing parking needs. In addition to the above requirements, developers will be required to provide and maintain loading and circulation facilities sufficient to meet the likely demand of each development.
The above car parking standards shall be applied at the discretion of the Council in the County’s rural towns and villages having regard to the availability and adequacy of on street parking, existing or proposed off street parking to serve the development and the status of the town/village within the settlement hierarchy of the County.
In cases where complete on-site provision of parking is not possible, the Planning Authority will insist on a Mobility Management Plan submitted as part of the application in weighing up the total requirements and possible financial contribution.
[1] All non-residential parking standards will be applied as maxima.
[2] Refer to the Design Standards for New Apartments in relation to reduced car parking requirements for development adjacent to existing and future rail stations and minimum requirements in peripheral/or less accessible urban locations.