Yahoo News 'A lot of complications': Councillors discuss EV charging points for terraced housing in North East Lincolnshire
The council is reviewing how it can provide electric vehicle (EV) charging points for terraced housing in North East Lincolnshire.
At a transport, infrastructure and housing scrutiny panel, councillors discussed the issue of how to provide public EV charging points, given that half of the area's homes have no private drives. Sales of new diesel and petrol car sales are due to be banned from 2035.
In March, North East Lincolnshire Council agreed an EV charging point strategy to 2030. There are targets for more than 500 public standard charging points by 2026, and over 800 by 2030.
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'Trying to identify best practice' on EV charging points
The scrutiny panel got an update on the charging point strategy. Charging point numbers are growing - there were 37 at the end of 2023 and now 71 in the borough.
Councillors were told by officers they are still reviewing how to particularly assist terraced houses with direct access to EV charging points for on-street vehicles. "It's something we are taking seriously and we're trying to identify best practice across the country."
The council had been in contact with London boroughs how they overcame the issues, and council officers were due to visit Nottingham the day after to look into what they were doing. "In the meantime, we're rolling out the infrastructure into street lights."
"Our town is full of terraced houses," said Cllr Karl Wilson. "Unless this strategy reflects our town and what we have, how is this strategy any good for us?" He said an answer to the question of charging points for terraced houses was needed early. He suggested putting cable links through old drainage channels.
Cllr Stewart Swinburn, portfolio holder for housing, infrastructure and transport, said of charging points for terraced housing: "There's a lot of complications involved." For example, the council could not make a traffic order to reserve a parking spot for a property's resident.
Cllr Kath Wheatley asked what the council would do if a householder passed a cable from their home over the path to their vehicle on the street. "It would be a contravention of the Highway Act," said Cllr Swinburn because of trespassing of the highway.
"That's what I'd have expected," replied Cllr Wheatley. She welcomed the preparations the council were making on EV charging points. "50 per cent of householders don't have access to private access parking," said Cllr Ian Lindley. "It's significant."
"Clearly, we aren't going to be able to put a charging point outside every house, that's not possible." However, not everyone wants to walk distances to charge, he added. He called the charging point targets, though, "fairly ambitious".
The council has submitted the final part of a multi-stage business case for £1.4m indicative cash from government Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) capital funding. That would deliver about 500 charge points over 18 months, beginning from April 2025.
EV charging point investment already confirmed comprises:
£371,000 LEVI capability fund - to employ five people specifically for the charging point rollout
£49,950 On Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) for about 50 charge points, mostly via street lighting, with installation starting in early 2025
£50,000 from the council's Local Transport Fund to support the EV charging point rollout.
A tender for a charge point operator is being made for the ORCS scheme. It is expected the operator would match fund the project. It is also anticipated the council will enter a profit-share agreement with the operator. North East Lincolnshire Council would get an estimated £125,000 over the ten year contract period.
