A government minister has commended the council for tackling a shortage of parking spaces in Bracknell.
MP Peter Swallow led a debate in the House of Commons on street parking on residential estates in Bracknell, in which he highlighted ‘vehicles spilling out onto roads, verges and pavements’.
Mr Swallow said: “One of the core challenges we face is the mismatch between older estate design and modern car ownership.
“We see estates that were built when households typically had one small vehicle, if that. Now many households have more than one car, and the cars are larger.
“We also, because of the housing market, are increasingly seeing more generations living in the same family home, which only compounds the issues further.”
The Labour MP further said in estates that were once council housing but now run by housing association Abri, the issue is ‘even more difficult to address’.
Bracknell Forest Council has begun a project to convert grass verges into safe parking spaces to alleviate overflows.
Mr Swallow said this was ‘an excellent example of what we can achieve when councils and housing associations work collaboratively together to address shared challenges’.
Matthew Pennycook, minister for housing, communities and local government, said: “Local authorities are best placed to balance the needs of residents, emergency services, local businesses and people who work in and visit their area.
“I am pleased to hear that Bracknell Forest Council is working with local land owners, including housing associations, to deliver more parking spaces across the community.”
