Operational Vehicle Parking Strategy

Operational Vehicle and Parking Strategy For Shared Use of Athol Garage Site

Prepared by

Darren D Burns BSc (Hons) MRICS Technical Director – Chartered Building Surveyor 7th August 2025

• 1. Purpose of this Strategy This Operational Strategy outlines how the Athol Garage site will function to accommodate both the existing car sales operation and the proposed coffee shop, with particular reference to:

• - Parking arrangements and flexibility
• - Visitor and customer circulation
• - Site management by the operator
• - Minimising potential for conflict or congestion

This statement responds to planning officer concerns regarding operational clarity and demonstrates that the proposal can be delivered without adverse impact on parking, highways, or neighbouring uses.

• 2. Site Overview and Existing Parking Provision The Athol Garage site currently comprises:

• - Former vehicle sales showroom and forecourt
• - Vehicle servicing facilities
• - A large hard-surfaced parking area

The site has a total of 91 marked parking spaces to primarily service the display of vehicles for the Car Sales business. Vehicle movements within the site for test drives are of the order of 1 to 2 per day during week days and 5 to 6 on Saturdays. The car business is closed on Sundays. Weekly car movements associated with prospective car sales is therefore of the order of 16 to 20. The limited number of cars for servicing are transferred directly into the service bays and ramps to the rear of the building and collected by customers on completion, but the majority of servicing undertaken is for cars for onward sale.

Current Parking Allocation:

Use	Spaces Currently Allocated
Cars for sale (forecourt/display)	89
Visitor / Customer Parking	2
Total Provision	91

• 3. Proposed Use and Parking Demand The proposal is for a coffee shop to be created within a portion of the under-utilised showroom, with modest internal seating (28 covers). The coffee shop / café is intended to serve:

• - Garage customers waiting for sales or vehicle servicing
• - Visiting members of the public
• - Workers from nearby businesses and passing trade

Use	Spaces Currently Allocated
Cars for sale (forecourt/display)	76
Coffee Shop / Visitor / Customer Parking	15
Total Provision	91

Peak vehicle / visitor parking demand, combined, is expected to be in the range of 10 to 15 vehicles.

• 4. Parking Management Strategy The following measures will ensure adequate and flexible parking for all uses on site: Flexibility in Car Display Numbers:

• - The site operator has the ability to reduce the number of cars displayed for sale at any time, although the earmarked 15 spaces is expected to meet the requirements for visitors to the building
• - The monitoring of demand and the ability to adapt allows for a dynamic reallocation of parking spaces between sales display and customer use, depending on demand.
• - For example, 10–15 additional could can be made available for coffee shop visitors, with a progressive reduction in vehicles associated with the car sales business should a re-balance be required Signage & Wayfinding:
• - Clear signage will direct visitors to available spaces.
• - Priority parking bays near the entrance are designated for short-stay café visitors Shared Parking Model:
• - As coffee shop usage is combined with relatively low demand for car sales vehicle movement, a shared use model not comprise the use of the site for vehicle movements.
• - Garage customers visiting for viewing vehicles as part of the car sales business will often use the coffee shop whilst waiting — creating some overlap in visitors rather than additional load.

• 5. Traffic Impact and Highways Position

• - The Local Highways Authority has raised no objections to the proposal and deems the 91 spaces to be adequate in the context of the size of the proposed coffee shop occupancy level. This is despite consultation in both April and July – where they re0itterate there are no objectional highway / parking impacts
• - The site has established access arrangements with no change proposed to entrances or circulation.
• - Internal vehicle movements are well managed by staff, with sufficient space for safe manoeuvring of display vehicles and customer traffic, with 6m aisles and 2.5 x 5m parking bays and disabled space as part of the originally approved scheme.

• 6. Conclusion This Operational Strategy demonstrates that:

• - The site has sufficient capacity (91 spaces) to accommodate car sales and coffee shop use concurrently.
• - The flexibility built into the site layout and operations enables responsive adjustments in real time.
• - The proposal introduces no highway safety or congestion concerns, as confirmed by the Highways Authority.
• - The coffee shop enhances on-site amenity without undermining the core commercial use.