What You Need To Know About Birmingham's New Policies On EV Charging And Parking
New proposals on car parking and electric vehicle charging are due to be agreed by Birmingham City Council’s ruling cabinet at a meeting on 9 November.
The city council has softened its proposed ban on all on-street unallocated parking in the city centre, except disabled parking. Some limited exceptions will be allowed.
The modest rethink follows a public consultation that heard concerns about the impact of parking removal on the city centre economy, particularly leisure and the night-time economy, and the feeling that motorists were being targeted too much.
A separate document presented to the meeting predicts a rapid rollout of city-centre electric vehicle charging points, with as many as 1,000 by this time next year and 1,500 by 2024.
These are the six big takeaways.
1. Maybe you can park a car in the city centre
The city council has softened its opposition to a ban on all but disabled parking in the city centre.
The rules will now allow for “some instances” at off-peak times when public transport is thin on the ground. But no more than 10% of venue capacity (whether that’s an office block, theatre or site) and only “where clear justification can be evidenced.”
The plan envisages the removal of all uncontrolled on-street parking in the city centre.
Replacement standalone off-street parking and new off-street parking in the city centre will not be supported unless it can be demonstrated that there is a deficit in local publicly available off-street parking, or that it will help to relieve on-street parking problems.
2. Office parking is still a thing
In the city-centre urban zone occupiers are allowed one space per 645 SF. In suburban it is one per 430 SF. One out of every five spaces must enable electric vehicle charging.
3. Suburban shopping gets some spaces
There is an “adjustment of the car parking standard for large retail development to ensure adequate provision” in suburban and inner urban areas, but not in the city centre. The new rules for convenience retail under 10K SF in these areas allow one space per 300 SF in inner urban, and one per 150 SF in suburban. Larger convenience retail is one space per 215 SF and one per 190 SF, respectively. Comparison retail comes out at one space per 430 SF and one per 320 SF in urban and suburban areas.
4. First wave of EV chargers by September 2022
The council will install the initial 394 Office for Low Emission Vehicles, or OLEV, funded fast (22 kilowatts full charge within twp hours) and rapid (50kW full charge within 40 minutes) network, by 30 September 2022, and going on to provide for further delivery, to ensure that a minimum of 3,600 EV charge points are installed by 2032
5. Private sector has a role
The strategy recognises the role of private sector charge point provision (e.g. private land, supermarkets, petrol stations) toward delivering the 3,600 charge point target.
The private sector is expected to lead workplace and destination charging, the council will look after en route and on-street provision.
6. But there could be 5,000 or more EV charge points soon
The number of charge points required could reach over 5,000 if, for example, more residential charging must be met with on-street charging. But if people still use cars, not public transport, “the number of charge points required could be greatly in excess of 5,000,” councillors have been told.
Early deployment of rapid charging (to 2025) will focus on locations in the city centre and some satellite areas.
