Car Park Study

3. PRINCIPLES BEHIND A TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AND PARKING STRATEGY FOR THE CONSERVATORS' CAR PARKS

Based on the established policies and related research work outlined above, we put forward the following five principles to be applied to the five areas of study for each of the car parks and on Castlemorton Common.

1. All traffic management and parking provision on or near Conservators' land should support the wider AONB Management Strategies and the MHC's own Management Plans. In particular they should reflect the need to maintain use of the land by visitors within the overall carrying capacity of the area, and agreed Limits of Acceptable Change. There should therefore be no general increase in car parking capacity on the land owned by MHC.
2. Revenue from car parking charges should continue to be treated as an important source of Visitor Payback to support both the conservation and management of the natural and man-made assets within the Conservators' care. However maximising revenue should in no way prejudice the sustainable management of the AONB or the Conservators' land.
3. The Conservators' car parks are the prime visitor gateways to the Malvern Hills, and should therefore on the one hand reflect a good quality, welcoming experience commensurate with a landscape heritage of national importance, and on the other provide an opportunity, through good quality information and signage, to influence visitor understanding and behaviour.
4. The close proximity of the MHC managed land to the townships that form the Malverns offers opportunities to develop strategies relating to sustainable tourism and visitor signage that can benefit both the local community and visitors. The development of walking links onto MHC land can help to reduce car dependency and add to the perceived tourism product represented by the townships.
5. Reducing the pressure on the most heavily used car parks, especially in the central areas, can be achieved most effectively by developing holistic strategies aimed at developing alternative modes of travel, as part of a wider Visitor and Traffic Management Plan that needs to form an integral part of the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Local Transport Plans and the AONB Management Plan.

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Car park study index

1. THE TASK 2. THE POLICY AND RESEARCH CONTEXT 3. PRINCIPLES BEHIND A TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AND PARKING STRATEGY FOR THE CONSERVATORS' CAR PARKS 4. PUTTING PRINCIPLES INTO PRACTICE - DEALING WITH THE SPECIFIC ISSUES RELATING TO THE MHC CAR PARKS 5. RESULTS OF THE SURVEY OF THE EIGHT MHC MAIN CAR PARKS WITH KEY RECOMMENDATIONS 6. PUTTING THE STRATEGY INTO ACTION - A PRIORITISED PLAN Appendix One Appendix Two Car Park Study Index Page

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