Decision details

To approve recommendations as set out in Section 3 of this report.

As part of the council’s policy to promote and encourage the uptake of Electric Vehicles, the council introduced 24 Lamp Column Charging Points at various locations in the borough. These EV points were installed in 2020.
As dedicated parking bays were not introduced for these EV points, the council have been receiving concerns from some residents that they are having problems accessing these EV points.

In 2021, advisory signs were installed at the locations to advice motorists to keep the locations clear if not charging with the aim to help with access for electric vehicle owners. However, the issue remains, and we have received complaints from residents that these charging points are been blocked by other non-EV owner residents, resulting in local EV owners unable to access. Therefore, the council propose to introduce designate parking bays adjacent to these existing LC EVCPs, to ensure accessibility to users.

Designated parking bays are not usually provided at lamp column electric vehicle charging point (LCEVP) locations - and this is the case in all the local authorities. The points were installed with an understanding that residents can use the spaces with consideration amongst themselves.

An alternative considered was to ‘not’ undertake the introduction of these designated bays. However, this is not recommended as it would be against the Councils responsibilities to manage parking and parking demands as the highway authority for the borough. It’s also the council’s policy to encourage a sustainable mode of transport to support the borough in delivering its carbon reduction targets and air quality improvements.