Agenda item

Report of the Executive Director of Place

The Cabinet considered a report of the Executive Director of Place, which set out the business case for the construction of a multi-storey car park in the city centre.

The Council adopted the City Centre Parking Strategy in August 2016, which recognised the need to manage off-street parking provision in the city centre and that over the next decade there would be a significant shortfall of available parking in the right locations as a result of the planned and on-going developments. The Strategy identified that an appropriate level of investment would be required to redress the projected shortfall in order to alleviate future pressures on the demand for parking.

The Council was responsible for 15 public car parks in and around the city centre which could accommodate 3,140 cars. In addition, circa 400 cars can be accommodated on-street within the city centre. Other privately operated car parks have capacity for a further 2,838 vehicles.

During recent years the city centre had been subject to considerable change including the transformation of Broadgate Square, the Railway Station to Bull Yard public realm improvement works and the de-cluttering of traffic signals on several of the key traffic corridors into the city centre (e.g. Little Park St, Gosford St, New Union St, Lidice Place and Corporation St). The transformation would continue at pace throughout the next decade with a number of major development schemes already underway as part of the regeneration of the city centre, all of which, coupled with a projected 3% year on year growth in the local population and economy, would result in a significant increase in demand for parking during the next decade. 

The growth in car ownership continued to escalate as did the demand for off-street parking. The City Centre Parking Strategy recognised that projected demands for parking were expected to exceed supply during the next decade and that there would be a significant under provision of approximately 500 spaces by 2025/26 if no action were to be taken to redress the situation.

It is expected that the following factors would contribute to the pressures on parking in the city centre during the next decade:

·  The continued regeneration and development of the city centre;

·  The development of the new Waterpark and Leisure Centre;

·  The development of the Friargate Business District;

·  The City Centre South retail development;

·  The development of a 1,000 bed student accommodation building on the site of Cox Street car park;

·  Continued growth and expansion of Coventry University;

·  Aspirational and expected levels of growth of the population, tourism and the economy;

·  More effective management of on-street parking within residential areas on the periphery of the city centre which will increase the usage of off-street parking facilities. 

It was therefore proposed to develop and construct a new multi-storey car park to be built on the site currently occupied by the existing Salt Lane surface level car park. Furthermore, the report submitted sought approval in principle for a potential development of a multi-storey car park on the site of the existing New Union Street multi-storey and Cheylesmore surface car parks.  As well as being located on significant gateway sites, these locations were strategically well placed and ideally located to serve the Waterpark and Leisure facility and other planned developments to the south of the city centre.

The Cabinet noted that the aim of the proposal was to provide high quality, sustainable car park facilities that support the aspirational and expected growth of the city centre, whilst complementing the new Waterpark and Leisure Centre, City Centre retail, the Friargate Business District, and a steadily rising growth in the local economy and demands for parking.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet:-

1.  Approve in principle the construction of a new multi-storey car park at Salt Lane subject to planning permission, in order to help redress the under provision of parking in the south of the city centre.

2.  Approve that the corporate capital resources expended on the works are funded from income growth within the Place Directorate over the life of the asset.

3.  Delegate authority to the Executive Director of Place and the Executive Director of Resources in consultation with the relevant Cabinet Members, to approve the detailed design of the proposed scheme and the associated professional appointments for the development and construction of the new multi-storey car park at Salt Lane. 

4.  Approve the principle of developing a linked business case for the construction of a new multi-storey car park on the site of the existing New Union Street and Cheylesmore car parks as a second phase development.

5.  Recommend to Council that it approves the addition of £10.7million to the capital programme funded from corporate capital resources for 2017/18 and 2018/19 for the development of a new MSCP on the site of the existing Salt Lane surface car park within Coventry city centre.