Agenda item

To follow

The Panel received a report which provided an update on Electric Vehicle (EV) charging across the borough and the Council’s wider Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) Action Plan. The report was introduced by Joe Baker, Head of Carbon Management as set out in the additional report pages 1-4. Mark Stevens, AD for Direct Services was present for this Item. Cllr Mike Hakata, Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment and Transport, and Deputy Leader of the Council was also present online. The following arose in discussion of the report:

1. The Panel sought clarification around instances of people without a driveway trailing charging cables over the footway to charge their vehicles and whether this was allowed. In response, officers advised that this was an offence under the Highways Act. It is possible to have a channel cut into the footway so that the cable was no longer a trip hazard but the person would have to pay the cost for the works and would need public liability insurance. Furthermore, that person would not have an automatic right to park in front of their own property. The Panel noted that whilst some local authorities would permit a channel to be installed many were reluctant to do so, as it was costly and impractical. Instead, Haringey was seeking to increase the number of on-street EV charging points.
2. The Panel noted that channels had been cut in front of the Civic Centre to support a SUDS scheme. It was also commented that when a person applied for a crossover they were essentially preventing from anyone parking in front of their property. In response to a request for clarification, officers advised that, pertaining to trailing cables over the footway being an offence, the relevant part of the Highways Act 1980 was Section 178, sub-section 1.
3. The Panel suggested that the stated goal of 400 on-street chargers was not enough to support large scale usage of EVs. It was commented that if everyone had an EV, two or three charging points would be needed on every street. The Panel also questioned why the on-street chargers were at the end of streets and queried whether this was related to CPZ boundaries and the need for a new CPZ consultation to be undertaken. In response, officers advised that whilst the number of vehicles was increasing, so was their range and so they required less charging time. This would reduce the number of charging points needed over time. In regard to chargers being located at the end of roads, officers advised that this was more do with the charger having more accessibility at the end of roads and the fact that people were more likely to object if one was installed in front of their home. It was also noted that the solution to widespread access to EV charging would likely be market driven and EV charging facilities available at petrol stations, for example.
4. The Panel referred to small cylindrical charging points recently installed by Barnet, called Trojan energy hubs. In response, officers advised that they would look into these chargers in more detail outside of the meeting but that a cursory look on the internet raised concerns that these would be too low down and would have wheelchair accessibility concerns as well as potentially being a trip hazard. There was DfT guidance about installing street furniture that was less than 600mm from the ground.
5. In response to a question, it was commented that Part S of the new building regulations stated that all new car parks had to have EV charging points.
6. The Panel suggested that 400 charging points across the borough did not seem enough, when you considered the amount of terraced housing and flats in the borough that did not have driveways. In response, the Cabinet Member acknowledged 400 alone may not be enough, but that the volume of charging stations would rise further with market driven solutions. It was suggested that private sector solutions would likely receive increasing incentivisation from the government as we headed to the 2030 cut off point for new petrol and diesel cars being sold in the UK.
7. The Panel stressed the importance of having multiple providers for EV charging across the borough.

RESOLVED

Noted