Sandy Town Council: EV charging points proposed for Sandy
Date Added: 20/09/2023
On 7th August Sandy Town Council agreed to go into partnership with CBC Sustainable Transport Team to provide EV charging points in the town centre car park. The 4x7kw standard charge points over 8 bays will be primarily for resident use but will be able to be used by those working in the town centre. These have 50% grant funding/50% BP Pulse with some revenue share to Sandy Town Council. There will also be 3x50 kw rapid charging points over 6 bays (wholly BP Pulse funded) to allow for visitors to fast charge whilst they visit the shops, cafes, or doctors.
We started looking at EV Charging points for our car park a few years ago but were unable to conclude an arrangement with a supplier. This initiative from CBC to oversee this project and negotiate with a supplier across Central Bedfordshire has meant we are now able to fulfil another of our environmental aims.
Sandy Town Council Mayor Cllr Joanna Hewitt said, “This council is looking forward to working with CBC on this project to provide a vital service for our residents and visitors from surrounding villages.” She went on to say “Due to the large number of houses in Sandy not having off-street parking, their options of purchasing electric vehicles are limited. By providing this service we hope that more residents will make the choice to go electric.”
Mr Tom Price, Sustainable Transport Officer from CBC said “I have held several meetings with Sandy Town Councillors and an on-site meeting helped identify the best area for the EV charging points. We will now move forwards with our supplier to provide this service for the town.”
Notes:
• Sandy Town Council purchased its first electric vehicle in 2022 and is committed to replacing its other vehicles to electric in future.
• Sandy Town Council reviewed its Environmental Plan in July 2023, which has a large number of commitments, including recycling, reducing power and water usage, more sustainable planting and working with community groups to reducing carbon footprint.
• In May 2023 the Government set a target of 300,000 public charging points by 2030 which requires 3,248 to be installed each month.
• The sales of electric vehicles is predicted to overtake diesel or petrol as early as 2025.