Councils will now be able to set their own town-centre parking charges Two measures to “make life easier” for motorists in England have been announced by the government.
It is lifting a restriction, introduced in 2001, on the number of parking spaces allowed in developments of new homes.
And it will no longer instruct councils to set high parking charges to encourage the use of other transport.
Ministers said they were “ending the war on the motorist” and that the rules “unfairly penalised drivers”.
The Department of Communities and Local Government said the new measures would mean councils and communities would be free to set parking policies that are “right for their areas”.
This will include “proportionate parking enforcement”, taking into account the effect of parking charges on the “vitality of their local economy and local shops”.
The government now believes councils should be free to set charges to attract shoppers to town centres, without interference from Whitehall.
The restrictions also led to more aggressive parking enforcement and increased on-street parking congestion, ministers said.
To deflect criticism that the announcements are environmentally unfriendly, ministers have also said charging points for electric cars on the street and in car parks will now be allowed without the need for planning permission.
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