During our last consultation, some residents raised the number of proposed parking spaces as an issue. The project team recognises this and this is something we have sought to address in this consultation.
The Greater London Authority considers a scheme with a PTAL rating of 5 as necessitating no parking facilities. We do not believe this would be appropriate, and have endeavoured to strike a balance between adhering to GLA policy and the practicalities on the ground. Our aim is to offer a reasonable level of parking that the community can utilise, whilst responding to the demands of the GLA, who have the power to refuse the scheme if it does not align with their policy.
To respond to these comments, parking surveys were undertaken in September 2023 to help the team understand town centre parking demand following the introduction of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone.
The parking surveys found that, currently:
- 1,111 car parking spaces available in other town centre car parks.
- On weekdays, a peak of 43% of parking spaces are occupied.
- On Saturdays, a peak of 45% of parking spaces are occupied.
- A minimum of 607 spaces are availabe in town centre car parks. This exceeds the number of parking spaces currently within the multi-storey car park and suggests a significant overprovision of parking in Purley town centre.
Using this information, the team has determined that a 50-space public car park for visitors to the town centre would be appropriate to provide within the scheme. Based on current parking demand and parking demand from the new
Leisure Centre:
- Approximately 585 short-stay spaces, including the new 50-space public car park, will be available for visitor use (and not by commuters).
- On weekdays, we expect a peak of 62% of parking spaces will be occupied.
- On Saturdays, we expect a peak of 81% of parking spaces will be occupied.
- This would still leave circa 114 spaces in the town centre unoccupied even at peak demand
This shows that the removal of the multistorey car park and provision of 50 public parking spaces in the basement car park is sufficient to support the vitality of the town centre and accommodate the additional parking demand from visitors to the leisure centre.
The proposed number of parking spaces therefore strikes a balance between meeting the parking demands of the town centre with the need to adhere to policy requirements.
If additional spaces were provided, the GLA and TfL may object to the plans as they seek to reduce private car use and increase the number of journeys made by sustainable modes of travel. The Mayor of London has the power to call in and refuse the scheme if it does not accord with planning policies in the London Plan, which would add further risk and delay to delivering the Leisure Centre.
November 2023
50 spaces for public use with a maximum length of two hours to prevent use by commuters
28 blue badge spaces for on-site later living accommodation
Six spaces for doctors, nurses and care home staff
On-street loading bay on Whytecliffe Road South for deliveries, servicing and coaches
Separate dedicated area for delivery / drop-off services e.g supermarket deliveries
Contact us
Following extensive consultation with the local community, Polaska has submitted a planning application to Croydon Council. This site will be updated with more information as the application progresses, but if you have any questions, please contact the project team via the details below:
Call: 020 3398 1590