Traffic & Transport
Car-Parking Demand Assessments
A car-parking demand assessment works out how much parking your development actually needs — and provides the evidence to support a rate different from the standard planning requirement.
What it is
A car-parking demand assessment estimates the real parking demand a development will generate and compares it with the statutory requirement set by the planning scheme. It's the report you use when you want to provide fewer (or more) spaces than the standard rate, or when the standard rate doesn't fit your use — and it gives the council the evidence to agree. In Victoria this assessment is central to how the reformed car parking provisions work.
When you need it
You need one when your proposed parking provision differs from the statutory requirement, when your use isn't well described by the standard rates, or when the planning scheme requires demand to be justified — for example to support a reduction (a “waiver” or “dispensation”) of the statutory rate. In Victoria, following Amendment VC277 (in effect from 18 December 2025), Clause 52.06 sets car parking rates by location using Car Parking Requirement Maps based on public transport accessibility, and a car parking demand assessment is the mechanism to vary from those rates (verified 2026-07-31, see our Insight article for detail).
Who requires it
Councils, as the responsible authority, require the evidence when a proposal seeks to depart from the statutory parking requirement; developers, town planners and architects commission the assessment to support their application.
What Arcvia assesses
Expected parking demand for your specific use and location (including empirical rates and multi-use/shared-parking effects where relevant); public transport, walking and cycling accessibility; the statutory requirement that applies to your site; the difference between demand and provision; and the planning justification for the rate you propose.
What you receive
A car-parking demand assessment report that states the demand, compares it with the statutory requirement, and makes the case for your proposed provision — written to give the council what it needs to support the outcome, and clear enough for a non-specialist to follow.
Standards, guidelines & authorities
In Victoria, assessments reference Clause 52.06 of the Victoria Planning Provisions (as amended by VC277) and the associated Car Parking Requirement Maps and practice guidance, together with relevant empirical parking-demand data and, where design is involved, AS 2890.1. In Queensland, assessments reference the relevant planning scheme rates and supporting data. We confirm the current provisions applying to your site at scoping.
Information we need for your fee proposal
The site address; the proposed use and scale (dwellings, GFA, seats, etc.); the parking you intend to provide; the planning stage; and your timeframe.
Our process
- Scoping — confirm the statutory requirement and the parking outcome you're seeking.
- Fee proposal — scope and fee in writing.
- Assessment — estimate demand and compare with the requirement.
- Report — justify the proposed provision.
- Support — respond to council questions on the parking case.
Frequently asked questions
It's an engineering assessment of how much parking a development will really use, compared with what the planning scheme requires. It lets you justify providing a different number of spaces than the standard rate — usually fewer, where the location and use support it — with evidence a council can rely on.
VC277 (in effect 18 December 2025) reframed Clause 52.06 so that statutory car parking rates now vary by location, using Car Parking Requirement Maps based on how well an area is served by public transport (a Public Transport Accessibility Level approach). Areas with better public transport generally have lower required rates. Where you want to vary from the mapped rate, a car parking demand assessment is the supporting evidence. Our Insight article explains it in full.
It can support a reduction where the genuine demand — given your use, location and access to public transport — is lower than the statutory rate. It doesn't guarantee the council will agree, but it gives them the evidence base to. We'll give you an honest read on how strong the case is for your site.
No. A demand assessment justifies how many spaces you need; a car park management plan sets out how the parking you provide will be managed and operated (allocation, time limits, sharing, access control). Larger or shared developments often need both — we can advise.
Related services
- Car Park Management PlansA car park management plan sets out how a development's parking will be allocated, controlled and operated — so it works day-to-day and satisfies the council.
- Traffic Impact Assessments (TIA)A traffic impact assessment is an engineering report that shows how a proposed development will affect the surrounding road network — and what, if anything, is needed to make it work safely.
- Access Design and AssessmentsAccess design and assessment confirms that vehicles can safely enter and leave your site — and designs the crossover, driveway or intersection treatment to make it work.
- Active Transport AssessmentsAn active transport assessment shows how a development supports walking, cycling and access to public transport — increasingly expected in planning applications.
Sectors & locations
Servicing Victoria and Queensland.
Representative work
Have a project that needs a clear way forward?
Tell us about your development and the parking outcome you want, and we'll set out the scope and fee.