Builders urged to include electric car charge points

Developers have been urged by councillors to include electric car charging points in all new builds.

Canterbury City Council is bidding for £30,000 from central government to site 10 charging points across the district.

At a Canterbury Area Members’ Panel meeting on Monday, councillors Alan Baldock and Nick Eden-green suggested making installation of them mandatory in new developments.

Lib Dem Cllr Eden-green said he was amazed the power points had not received the same level of funding as barriers for car parks.

He said: “Every car park, every new house that’s built, every new development should have builtin charging.”

Labour’s Cllr Baldock also proposed a change to the local plan to ensure it became a reality.

At the end of last year the council called on the public to help identify areas where the points, which can charge two cars at once, could be installed.

Among the areas identified were Orchard Street, Roper Road, Nunnery Fields, Havelock Street and Puckle Lane.

Richard Moore, the city council’s transportation and environment manager, said: “My preference, because of the air quality issues, would be that the majority of these be in Canterbury.”

He added that users would have to pay to charge their cars.

However, there has been demand from Whitstable for points in Cromwell Road, Nelson Road, Sea Street, Woodlawn Street, Regent Street and Gladstone Road.

An electric car charge point