Spalding key area in proposed £1 million electric vehicle charging point plan

Spalding has been identified as a key area within a new £1 million electric vehicle charging point plan.

Lincolnshire County Council and Midlands Connect have submitted a joint bid for £935,355 of Government funding for this new plan.

As a part of the Government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Pilot, this plan could deliver hundreds of new electric vehicle charging points across the county.

Councillor Martin Hill, leader of Lincolnshire County Council said: “We know that residents in Lincolnshire are keen to make greener choices and many are planning to make the switch to an electric vehicle well ahead of the ban on new diesel and petrol car sales in 2030.

“Given that we are such a vast county where motorists often have to travel longer distances, it’s essential that we have a comprehensive network of public charging points in place so that motorists can travel without the worry of losing power, and residents without driveways know they can charge their vehicles close to home.

"We’re very hopeful that this bid will be successful, allowing us to move forward and install the charging points we so sorely need.”

A partnership of five local authorities across the Midlands region, alongside Sub-National Transport Body Midlands Connect submitted the bid.

If the bid is successful, the money will be distributed in Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Herefordshire, Rutland and Stoke-on-Trent Councils.

Within Lincolnshire, the funding will be used to deliver 101 standard and eight rapid charging points across the county.

As part of the bid, LCC has drawn up key areas that could benefit from some of the 43% increase in the amount of chargers outlined in the bid. These areas are: Grantham, Boston, Gainsborough, Skegness, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Sleaford, Hemswell Cliff, Spalding and Louth.

It is expected that this support from Government will attract an additional £2.8million of private sector investment, with the cumulative funds being used to install a total of 322 standard and 27 rapid public EV chargers across the Midlands.

The majority of Lincolnshire's points will be on-street chargers in residential areas with the remainder being placed in council-owned carparks and other council-owned land. It is hoped that this pilot could pave the way for a larger, region-wide installation scheme.