Our Kerbside and Parking Strategies form part of our ambitious plans for a healthier, greener and safer Hounslow.
The strategies reimagine Hounslow’s parking and kerbside spaces to ensure that streets are designed for all ages, abilities and incomes, while improving air quality and building resilience to climate change.
We carried out public consultation in 2023 with residents, businesses and stakeholders. Feedback informed the final strategies, which were approved by Cabinet in July 2024 (see agenda items 13 and 14).
The Kerbside and Parking Strategies support the Transport Strategy, which provides a comprehensive overview of all transport priorities in the borough.
Kerbside Strategy
The kerbside is the space on the road next to the pavement.
A large proportion of the kerbside is currently used to provide and manage car parking. However, almost a third of Hounslow residents don’t own a private vehicle, while 63% of trips in the borough are made by walking, cycling and public transport (see: TfL website - Travel in London 2025: Annual overview (PDF)). That’s why we need to reconsider our kerbside and create spaces for people, not just cars.
Strategy objectives
Through our Kerbside Strategy, we are reimaging the borough’s kerbside to better balance uses and create safe, healthy, and liveable streets.
The Kerbside Strategy has five objectives:
- More sustainable mobility: Increase residents’ transport options, making it easier to walk, wheel, cycle and use shared vehicle schemes.
- Improved health and wellbeing: Make our streets places to meet friends, socialise and be physically active, while helping to reduce air pollution at the same time.
- Building resilience and adaptability: Make our streets more resilient to extreme weather events such as heatwaves and flooding as well as increasing and supporting biodiversity.
- Strengthening communities through better places: Make our streets safer and more attractive, which will strengthen communities and encourage people to meet, play and grow together.
- Improved accessibility and inclusion: Design our streets for everyone, with more transport options as well as safe and accessible kerbside vehicle parking.
Key proposed changes to the kerbside
The Kerbside Strategy introduces a range of measures, including:
- More trees and street planting to increase climate resilience and create attractive and welcoming outdoor spaces.
- Support for cycling, including dockless e-bike parking, expanded e-cargo bike provision and on-street cycle parking near homes and key destinations.
- Space for car clubs, taxis and private hire vehicles, which provide flexible vehicle access to residents and businesses without the need to own a car.
- People friendly streets, such as parklets, seating, and other placemaking elements.
- Freight, delivery and servicing improvements to promote efficient and sustainable goods movement.
Several kerbside uses, such as electric vehicle charging, cycle routes and bus facilities, are not included in this strategy as their design, implementation and management are covered in other council documents.
Full strategy document
Parking strategy
Travel by car and other motor vehicles continues to play an important role in the borough, particularly for essential journeys and for residents with additional mobility needs.
Our Parking Strategy sets out how we will balance car parking needs while working to deliver a healthier, greener and safer Hounslow.
Strategy objectives
The Parking Strategy provides a borough-wide framework for managing both on-street parking and council-owned car parks.
It guides how parking is planned, managed, reviewed and improved to support residents, businesses and visitors. It has been developed to ensure that council-operated parking is high quality and continues to play a valuable role in the borough’s transport network.
The Parking Strategy has five objectives:
- Improved health and wellbeing: There is a link between poor air quality and health issues. We are seeking to reduce congestion and encourage lower-emission vehicles to help improve air quality.
- Better accessibility and inclusion: Ensuring parking supports people of all ages, abilities and needs.
- Futureproofing Hounslow: Using technology and smarter systems to manage current and future demand for parking.
- More sustainable mobility: Supporting active and sustainable transport and reducing non-essential car trips.
- Achieving prosperity and better places: Supporting local businesses and communities by providing the right type of parking in the right places.
Key proposed changes to parking
Key elements of the Parking Strategy include:
- Reviewing parking provision, safety and security, including accessible and priority parking.
- Expanding the use of emissions-based parking charges.
- Introducing new permit types and reviewing how Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) are identified and prioritised.
- Improving council-owned car parks, including improving accessibility, and providing electric vehicle charging, cycle parking and greening.
- Enhancing signage, technology and wayfinding.
- Updating parking policy, management and enforcement.
