Posted on 17th Feb
MORE drivers in Newark and Sherwood will be able to power up their electric vehicles in council car parks, after a national grant has enabled eight new chargepoints to be installed.
Newark and Sherwood District Council has been awarded £51,000 from the Government’s On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme.
Local authorities were invited to submit applications for the scheme to increase the availability of charging points in residential streets, built-up areas and town centre car parks to help prepare and support for the transition towards zero emission vehicles.
While the fund is primarily designed for the installation of chargepoints in built-up areas with on-street parking, in areas such as Newark where there is little on-street parking, funding can be used by councils to install chargepoints in town centre car parks.
As well as the seven chargepoints already in place at district council car parks in Newark, the additional facilities are being installed as part of the move toward greener transport, helping to improve air quality in the quest to cut back on fossil fuels.
Due to be installed before the end of April, four new chargepoints will be put in the council’s car park on London Road, Newark, as well as four at Southwell Town Council’s Bramley Centre car park.
Coun Roger Jackson, chairman of the Leisure and Environment Committee at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “Electric vehicles are becoming more and more popular and we want to do all we can to enable our residents to use them by making charging points available.
“As part of our Climate Emergency Strategy, we installed seven rapid charge points in December 2019 in three of the district council’s car parks — four at Riverside, one at Appletongate and two at Castle House in Newark. Providing electric car charging points is a vital part of our aim to promote greener transport solutions and make the district cleaner, safer and greener.
“The new chargepoints are a hugely positive step in helping us be at the forefront of low and zero emission vehicle use, delivering cleaner air for the district.”
At the moment ‘fastcharging’ chargepoints can be found at Riverside car park, Newark, and can power up most vehicles in three hours while the ‘ultracharge’ one at Appletongate provides up to 80 per cent power within 30 minutes.
Additional ‘fastcharging’ facilties are also in place at the Castle House car park, although this is temporarily out of use because the site is currently being used for a Covid-19 testing venue.
Customers access the equipment through a smart card or mobile app.
Car parking charges will apply between 8am and 6pm but local residents will be able to take advantage of chargepoints from 6pm and 8am without incurring parking charges.
