Harlow Council is to install electric vehicle charging points in car parks it owns around the town to boost electric vehicle ownership in the town.
A report agreed at last Thursday’s (9 September) Cabinet meeting will see the council enter into a contract with BP Pulse for the supply of electric vehicle charge points in the following car parks:
- Town Park School Lane car park
- Garden Terrace Road, Old Harlow
- Minchin Road, The Stow
- Tawneys Road, Bush Fair
- Tilegate Road, Bush Fair
- The Stow service bays
The installation of the points will meet one of the commitments made when Harlow councillors declared a climate change emergency in July 2019. The report also states that more public charging points will encourage residents to move to no emission vehicles by 2050 which is part of the Government’s “Road to Net Zero” strategy.
By 2030, it is anticipated that there could be between approximately 6,000 and 14,000 battery electric vehicles in Harlow, with between 3,000 and 6,500 being parked on-street.
A working group will also be setup to look at the installation of charging points in residential estates and other locations across the town. The installation of points in housing estates would be subject to consultation with residents.
Councillor Alastair Gunn, portfolio holder for environment, said:
“The installation of these points will be the start of a programme of providing more electric vehicle charge points to help more residents and the town go green. This will meet a key climate change pledge made when councillors declared a climate emergency in July 2019. With electric vehicle ownership rising quickly and to make it easier for Harlow residents to own an electric car, there needs to be a mixture of public, private and workplace charging points. As an owner of a number of car parks in the town, we can will provide those public points and we are hopeful that more locations can be identified in the future working with both residents and businesses. The charge points will be cost neutral to Harlow Council with 75 percent of funding being achieved through grants offered by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) and 25 percent being match funded by BP Pulse.”