Powered parking plan for city streets put off

A push to have electric vehicle chargers on Wellington’s suburban streets has run out of juice.

Wellington City Council had proposed a trial of charging stations in 18 suburban streets, and one at Wellington Zoo, at locations where prospective electric vehicle (EV) owners had requested them.

The ‘‘medium speed’’ chargers would take between three and six hours to charge an EV car, and there would be no time limit on parking.

But yesterday, councillors voted to defer the proposal after some terse submissions from residents of the streets where EV chargers were proposed to go.

Many were in favour of the concept, but were also concerned about a lack of parking space.

Brooklyn resident Gwyn Jones said her street, Bruce Ave, was entirely unsuited for two unlimited EV parking spaces. It was not uncommon for the street to be full, with cars parked over one another.

Mt Victoria resident Martin Krafft, who called in from Germany, said his proposal for an EV charger on Strafford St had not gone anywhere after a few neighbours argued against his application.

Councillor Chris Calvi-Freeman said the submissions had him concerned that the proposed sites were poorly considered.

Councillor David Lee, who holds the climate change portfolio, said a move to EVs would make the biggest difference to carbon emissions in the city.

Wellington Mayor Justin Lester said the proposal required some tweaks, and he asked for it to be deferred.