But it is not just thinking about car park aesthetics that makes good business sense. There are many other issues connected to car park structure, access and safety, which can have a major knock-on effect on business if dealt with inadequately.

Castlepoint in Bournemouth learned of the potential pitfalls the hard way when the scheme was forced to close over the busy Christmas period in 2005 due to structural problems with the two-deck car park. Kier, the lead contractor, has advised the Castlepoint Limited Partnership that the car park would have to be demolished and rebuilt. To date, the car park is still awaiting demolition and works, when they begin, will be carried out in phases to minimise the impact on shoppers.

But while this may have acted as a wake-up call to the industry, there are still some industry recommendations that are not always followed.

Back in December 2002, the Institute of Civil Engineers National Steering Committee on Inspection and Maintenance of Multi-storey Car Parks, issued a recommendation on good practice for owners and operators and their engineering advisors. The recommendations aimed to assist in maintaining safe car park structures and cost-effective inspection and maintenance with minimum disruption.

Owners and operators are recommended to appoint an experienced engineer to advise them of structural safety, inspection, maintenance and repair; and central to the recommendations was a Life Care Plan for each car park structure to enable inspection, maintenance and repair of car parks at specific intervals. Records of its initial design, any repairs etc also had to be kept and maintained up-to-date as a basis of progressing with the Life Care Plan.

A new guidance document from the British Parking Association supports these views stating that owners and operators are legally obliged to carry out regular inspections and structural surveys.

The document states that owners and operators of multi-storey car parks should instruct their staff to carry out daily inspections, reporting any structural defects, such as spalling or cracking concrete; and once the car park is over three years old, qualified inspectors working under the supervision of an engineer should carry out inspections every six months.

The Institute of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Structural Engineers and the then ODPM all published reports in 2002 recommending changes to safety barriers in multi-storey car parks. Barrier impact heights were increased from 375mm to 445mm; the measurement of the 1,100mm handrail height now had to be measured from any step up point lower than 550mm; while it was also recommended that the value force to be withstood by the barrier should be doubled where the approach was greater than 20 metres - typically aisle ends and opposite down ramps.

Generally speaking the new-build sector has taken these changes on board. However, where refurbishments are concerned, Berry Systems - a designer and manufacturer of protection systems - suggests that the implementation of the twice force systems at aisle ends and on the ramps remains patchy, as there are still a lot of owners who are unaware of this. However, Simon Bradbury, marketing manager of Berry Systems, says: "Of all the recommendation in the reports, the one regarding handrail heights and step up points is the one that is likely to have the greatest overall effect on pedestrian safety. It is also the most contentious area due to the subjective assessment of what constitutes a step up point.

"Berry Systems had pre-existing handrail and mesh systems to meet the requirements of BS6180 which merely required the mesh infill to stop the passage of a sphere 150mm in diameter (the size of a baby's head). There was no specific requirement for anti-cimb. Subsequently, Berry Systems launched an updated system with genuine anti-climb features and with improved aesthetic appeal."

However, Bradbury points out that there is very little evidence of car park operators installing handrails at greater heights or installing anti-climb mesh, as specific responses to risk assessments other than when combined with a wider refurbishment, which means many car parks in the UK still do not comply with the recommendations of the ICE, ISE and ODPM.

New British Standards for concrete repair, resulting from Europe-wide standardisation, are also soon to be introduced by the Concrete Repair Association. The most important standards will be the BS EN 1504, part of which will deal with design issues, and part with site execution. Both are relevant to design and execution of concrete repair works on site.

One of the benefits of the new British Standards is a move away from a lowest price culture and towards appropriate best value solutions over the life of an asset.

Additionally, the newly-established European Liquid Waterproofing Association (ELWA) Car Park Group launched a new Code of Practice for Car Deck Waterproofing at Parkex in April. The standards and codes ensure materials chosen for car park waterproofing are properly fit for purpose, in a bid to maintain a longer lifespan for car park decks.

In producing the code, some of the country's leading suppliers and contractors have been utilised including BASF Construction Chemicals, Stirling Lloyd, Triflex, Makers and USL StructureCare.

Peter Cowlard of Makers says: "We want to assure clients that car decking are suitable and durable providing they are put down under our guidelines. It aims to give clients confidence that members of ELWA will be providing quality and providing a good product."

Cowlard hopes the first of the guidance notes will be available towards the end of the year.

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