It’s My Home; I Can Park Anywhere, Right?
Not always.
It depends on what sort of area you live; requirements will be different in a densely populated city centre than those in more open rural places where big, detached houses are the norm.
Yes, it is your home, but failing to consider local parking rules and the surrounding area can lead to planning permission refusals.
GRK-Architects Bournemouth specialises in designing seamless, regulation-compliant parking solutions that enhance your home without compromising functionality or aesthetics.
Why Are There Specific Requirements for Parking?
In a constantly growing economy, there’s also a constant need for new housing or the expansion of existing homes for growing families, those with additional needs, or to provide shared housing for those with lower incomes.
More homes lead to increased vehicle ownership, which, if left unchecked, could result in:
- Increased on-street parking pressure and illegal and anti-social parking,
- Increased carbon emissions,
- Worsened congestion affecting health and safety,
- Road safety issues,
- Negative impact on the existing residents, the public realm, and the public amenity (space).
In order to mitigate the negative effects of poor parking plans, BCP council advocate for high-quality parking and access layouts that are attractive, safe, and convenient.
Parking Planning for Side Extension: A GRK Case Study
As architects in Bournemouth, we took on a project in Bournemouth where a client wanted to extend their semi-detached HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) property with a self-contained flat.
Although the flat will have the appearance of an addition to the existing HMO, they are still two separate properties. This means a parking plan will be needed for each dwelling.
Based on the optimal parking requirements in the BCP Parking Standards document, our designs need to allocate 2 parking spaces: 1 for the HMO, 1 for the single bedroom flat.
Garage Conversion: A Feasible Option?
Our client’s existing home has a garage that was considered for the self-contained flat, but this would pose two main issues:
- Expanding the garage would decrease the amenity space in the back garden, which would make the area ‘unfit for purpose’.
- Converting the garage into a living space would remove it as a parking space and leave only one available area for on-road parking, leaving the property 1 parking space short of being optimal.
To address these challenges, our architects have devised initial designs that include demolishing the existing garage and creating a carport big enough to park two cars (one in front of the other), with a studio flat above it.
This solution allows our client’s back garden to remain the same size and avoid adversely affecting their amenity space.
Size Matters: Meeting BCP Parking Requirements
Usually, the requirements for parking spaces in the Bournemouth area are 4.8m long by 2.6m wide but due to one space backing onto a wall and the other fronting the footpath, the length of each space needs to be 5.3m.
We also accounted for additional 0.5m gaps to keep each car easily accessible:
- Between the back of the first car and the wall behind it (to allow the boot to open)
- Between the front of the first car and the back of the second car (to allow the bonnet and boot to open)
- Between each side of the car and the walls next to them (to allow car doors to open)
Garden Saver: Studio Flat Carport
We briefly mentioned amenity space before but more specifically, BCP council offers the following guidelines when it comes to how much garden space should be retained when designing your new home extension.
Private gardens should:
- Feel safe and secure with a good degree of privacy.
- Be of a useful size for the proposed occupants enabling flexibility of use and personalisation over time.
- Be well related to internal living accommodation.
Presently, our client’s garden satisfies all three requirements by:
- offering security and privacy via the surrounding walls,
- providing enough room for additional garden furniture and a space for planting shrubs and flowers,
- remaining occupied by residents that are not related (nor have any children), making a smaller garden like this reasonable (read this guide from the BPC Council):
A rear extension would take up a good chunk of back garden space, and a garage conversion would take away on-street parking, adding to the congestion of the streetscape.
By creating a studio-flat-over-carport extension, GRK can provide a seamless and innovative solution that harmonise our client’s needs while adhering to BCP council’s parking and amenity requirement.
Start your Bournemouth Extension with GRK
If you’re planning an extension, loft conversion, or new build in Bournemouth, GRK Architecture can help you navigate planning regulations while designing a functional, stylish, and compliant space.
Let’s create a home that works for you—without parking headaches. Contact GRK Architecture Bournemouth to discuss your next project and how we can help.
