The Isle of Wight Council has been slammed for installing an electric charging point in a residential area of East Cowes, taking away parking spaces, where there is already a ‘struggle’ to find one.
In a letter to Adelaide Grove residents, the council announced the installation of the twin-socket electric vehicle charge point — one of ten being placed around the Island — but admitted it may not have a high demand to start with.
Due to that, it was only initially only allocating one parking space for only electric vehicle charging.
Fine for parking if not charging
If residents park in the allocated bay without the need for charging, they could receive a penalty charge notice.
The council said it would monitor the use of the charging point and ‘when demand requires it’ would allocate a second parking space.
Consultation with town and parish councils
While welcoming the charging point, East Cowes town councillor Cameron Palin, said he was disappointed they were not consulted about the location.
An Isle of Wight Council spokesperson, however, said town and parish councils were consulted in 2021 with the offer of putting a charging point in their area.
Palin: Not correct location
Cllr Palin said Adelaide Grove was ‘not the correct location’, as residents already struggle to park and this now means they lose yet another space.
Other areas in the town such as York Avenue, would have been more suitable said Cllr Palin.
He said there must be a move to green transport but rather than ‘imposing’ the point on residents, the council should work with residents and local councillors to find out where they are needed.
According to resident demand
The charging point, however, was placed according to resident demand, a council spokesperson said, following an Island-wide survey in 2018 undertaken to understand potential demand.
The survey asked people whether they had access to off-street parking and if they would be interested in purchasing an electric vehicle in the next year if there was access to a charger.
Looking at the feedback, the spokesperson said, along with specific requests from residents and detailed technical investigations, potential locations were identified.
The funding for the on-street charge point project has come from the Office for Zero-Emission Vehicles, as part of the council’s climate change strategy.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is part of. Read here to find about more about how that scheme works on the Island. Some alterations and additions may have been made by News OnTheWight. Ed
