Cotswolds to accelerate charging network
Plans to roll out a network of electric vehicle chargers for businesses and residents across the Cotswolds have been signed off by the local authority.
The council, which has now formally adopted an electric vehicle charging strategy, aims to accelerate the delivery of infrastructure throughout the district area.
The Council will take actions to deliver electric vehicle infrastructure in a phased approach to encourage the switch to greener vehicles. This strategy will deliver a phased installation of electric vehicle charging points in the Council’s public car parks for the benefit of residents, workers, shoppers and visitors.
Following the initial installations and upgrades to existing units in market towns, there are also plans to roll out charging points across the district by working with other landowners. The council will be procuring an installer in January 2021 and expect installations to start later in the year.
The Council will also be working with its tenants to support the installation of charging points for those tenants that lease council-owned buildings. Work is also underway to introduce electric and hybrid vehicles to the council’s fleet.
The strategy forms part of the local authority’s plans to hit net-zero carbon and the provision of charging infrastructure aims for future owners or occupiers of council-owned buildings to be able to reduce their carbon impact as a result.
Cllr Rachel Coxcoon, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, said: “We know that many of our residents are keen to reduce their impact on the environment but face challenges in switching to electric vehicles due to the current lack of charging provision across the district.
“With this new strategy and approach to the delivery of charging infrastructure, we intend to lead, rather than follow, the switch to electric vehicles. This is the first step in the development of a comprehensive Sustainable Transport Strategy for the district. Although we are not the highways authority, we want to do everything in our power to give residents the choice and opportunity to opt for safe and appealing modes of active and public transport whenever they need it.
“Adopting greener modes of transport will make our towns and villages more attractive and pleasant places to spend time, by reducing the need for everyone to drive everywhere, which leads to parked cars dominating our beautiful streets. We are in the process of recruiting for a new officer to lead this wider Sustainable Transport Strategy work, and welcome applications from residents of the district who have the right skills to take on this challenge.”
