Claim Norwich may lose 1,000 parking spaces due to car sizes

Norwich could lose almost 1,000 parking spaces to accommodate growing car sizes, an insurance company has

claimed.

Adrian Flux estimates the Fine City would lose around 970 spaces if new guidance from the Institution of Structural

Engineers recommending a significant expansion of space dimensions is acted upon.

The updated standards propose an increase from 2.4m by 4.8m to 2.6m by 5m – an increase that falls in line with car

growth over the last 50 years.

It comes as a new study from campaign group Transport & Environment found roughly half of all new cars are too

wide for a typical parking slot.

St Andrews car park in Duke Street, Norwich

The current standard parking dimensions were recommended back in the 1970s when the average size of a car was

considerably smaller than now in 2024.

Gerry Bucke, general manager at King’s Lynn-based Adrian Flux, said: “The growing popularity of larger SUVs and

4x4s presents a unique dilemma for urban planners.

“The size increase, with consideration for pillar placement in multi-storey and underground car parks, means that

major cities across the UK including Norwich are set to lose thousands of parking spaces.

“The alternative poses trouble for custom and customers as already growing cars continue their increase in size and

popularity, making navigating and actually using car parks harder and harder.”

Local businesses have already raised concerns about parking in Norwich after fees at city council car parks rose by

7.5pc, rounded to the nearest 10p, in January.

Merged with an increase in 2022, some costs have risen by a combined 80pc in two years.

Speaking on this rise, Mark Hedge, owner of Cookes Band Instruments in St Benedicts Street, said: “I think people

will pay it but there’s so many empty shops here now that it’s getting harder and harder to get people off the sofa and

into Norwich.

Norwich City Council manages three multi-storeys and several pay and displays, which have just over 3,000 spaces,

but there are hundreds more spaces at privately managed car parks including Chantry Place and Castle Quarter.

A city council spokesman said it was “reviewing” the situation and was taking into consideration “a variety of factors

including, legislation, government guidelines, best practice and feedback from residents”.

Robert Bradley, manager at Castle Quarter, said the shopping mall – which has 700 spaces – is “always looking for

proactive ways to improve its offering”.

He added: “Whilst we have no immediate plans to change the size of our parking spaces that is not to say we won’t do

so in the future.

Chantry Place shopping centre, however, said it had few concerns about the changes to regulations – with its spaces

already being among the largest in the city.

General manager Paul McCarthy said: “With 1,000 spaces, security staff on site 24/7 and being one of the best priced

long stay car parks in the city, we are always looking at how best we can make a visit to the city enjoyable and

convenient for our visitors.

“In addition to our 58 larger parent and child bays and 49 disabled bays, our additional 983 standard car park bays

are amongst the largest in Norwich at 2.4m by 5.2m.

“Whilst we currently have no plans to change them, we will continue to review this as our visitors needs change.”