Birmingham City Council is to take forward work to develop a workplace parking levy (WPL) of £500 per space per year.

At a meeting on Tuesday (15 October) the council's cabinet agreed a report that presented findings from the Strategic Outline Business Case and approved further investigation of a WPL scheme for the city and the development of potential options.

WPLs charge employers who provide parking for staff, generating funds for other transport projects.

The report described the proposal as part of a series of measures being implemented to improve air quality, create a healthier environment, and reduce congestion in the city by encouraging employers to ‘review and manage workplace parking provision, help fund schemes to improve the quality and attractiveness of more sustainable modes of transport, and make travel by private car less attractive’.

Waseem Zaffar, cabinet member for transport and environment, said: ‘We need to keep our city moving in a sustainable way, reducing congestion and improving the air we breathe, which means reducing our over-reliance on private cars and switching to public transport, cycling or walking instead.

‘A workplace parking levy would help tackle air pollution, fund public transport improvements, reduce congestion and improve the way we move around our city.’

The report to councillors stated that the proposed scheme will cost an estimated £0.915m and would take three years to implement.

The council estimates that the levy of £500 per space will generate an estimated £5.6m in its first year of operation. Between 2024 and 2034 it is estimated that £79m will be generated, allowing for a 2% annual increase to the levy and operational expenditure.

This story first appeared on Transport Network.