Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984

57 General powers of parish or community councils for provision of parking places. E+W+S

(1) Where for the purposes of relieving or preventing congestion of traffic or preserving local amenities it appears to the council of a parish in England or a community in Wales to be necessary to do so, the council, subject to sections 58 and 59 of this Act, may—

(a) provide within their area and maintain suitable parking places for bicycles and motor cycles, or

(b) provide within their area and maintain suitable parking places, otherwise than on roads, for vehicles of other descriptions or for vehicles generally.

(2) For the purpose of providing and maintaining any such parking place, or for the purpose of providing means of entrance to and egress from any parking place provided under this section, a parish or community council may—

(a) utilise and adapt any land purchased by the council for the purpose or appropriated for the purpose under subsection (3) below, or

(b) in the case of a parking place provided under subsection (1)(a) above, but subject to the provisions of section 58 of this Act, adapt, and by order authorise the use of, any part of a road in the parish or community;

and any power under subsection (1) above to provide and maintain parking places shall include power to provide and maintain structures for use as parking places.

(3) Notwithstanding anything in any other enactment, but subject to subsection (4) below, a parish or community council may appropriate for the purpose of providing a parking place under this section—

(a) any part of a recreation ground provided by the council under section 8 of the M1 Local Government Act 1894;

(b) any part of an open space controlled or maintained by the council under the M2 Open Spaces Act 1906, other than a part which has been consecrated as a burial ground or in which burials have taken place;

(c) any part of any land provided by the council as a playing field or for any other purpose and held by that council for the purposes of section 19 of the M3 Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 (recreational facilities).

(4) Any part of a recreation ground, open space or other land appropriated under subsection (3) above shall not exceed one-eighth of its total area or 800 square feet, whichever is the less.

(5) No order under subsection (1) above shall authorise the use of any part of a road as a parking place so as unreasonably to prevent access to any premises adjoining the road, or the use of the road by any person entitled to use it, or so as to be a nuisance.

(6) A parish or community council may employ, with or without remuneration, such persons as may be necessary for the superintendence of parking places provided by the council under this section.

(7) A parish or community council may make byelaws (subject to confirmation by the Secretary of State[F1 , in the case of byelaws made by a parish council]) as to the use of parking places provided under subsection (1)(a) above, and in particular as to the conditions upon which any such parking place may be used and as to the charges to be paid to the council in connection with the use of any such parking place, not being part of a road; and a copy of any byelaws made under this subsection shall be exhibited on or near every parking place to which they relate.

(8) A parish or community council may let for use as a parking place any parking place provided by them (not being a part of a road) under this section; but, without prejudice to any power of a parish or community council under any other enactment to let a playing field or other land of which a parking place forms part, no single letting under this subsection shall be for a longer period than 7 days.

(9) The exercise by a parish or community council of their powers under this section with respect to the use as a parking place of any part of a road shall not render them subject to any liability in respect of loss of or damage to any vehicle or the fittings or contents of any vehicle parked in such a parking place.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 57(7) inserted (W.) (31.3.2015) by Local Government Byelaws (Wales) Act 2012 (anaw 2), s. 22(2), Sch. 2 para. 13(3); S.I. 2015/1025, art. 2(r) (with art. 3)

Marginal Citations

M1 1894 c. 73. (56 & 57 Vict.)(81:1).

M2 1906 c. 25(46:2).

M3 1976 c. 57(81:1).