Osprey Charging Limited’s plans for electric charging points in Stamford, Lincolnshire near A1 approved at appeal after being turned down by South Kesteven District Council

Plans for an ultra-fast electric vehicle charging site have been given the green light - despite fears it will attract ‘undesirable behaviour’.

A Government planning inspector has overturned South Kesteven District Council’s refusal of the facility on a field south of Tinwell Road in Stamford, close to the A1.

Osprey Charging Limited’s plans for 16 rapid chargers with seating and a toilet block were met with concern by residents and councillors.

When the plans were discussed at a South Kesteven District Council meeting in December, Coun Richard Cleaver (Stamford St John’s - Ind) said he received more objections than for any other application and ‘can understand why’.

He added: “The fact it’s discreetly tucked away close to the A1 fuels concerns it will be a magnet for anti-social behaviour with people driving in and doing things they shouldn’t.”

Under the plans the site would be accessible at all times and monitored by CCTV and sporadic checks by a security team.

Access would be from Tinwell Road using the existing road to South View Business Centre and Tinwell Pumping Station, which would be widened to six metres for two-way traffic.

Further objections were that it would attract ‘undesirable behaviour after dark’ and ‘potential misuse of the toilet’, and that open countryside should not be concreted over when brownfield sites exist.

Coun Cleaver had suggested an alternative location, off the Tinwell Road southbound slip road approaching the A1, but said this was dismissed due to ‘red tape and policy’.

South Kesteven District Council had rejected the application on the grounds that countryside would be lost unnecessarily. Osprey Charging lodged an appeal and the Government inspector Elaine Moulton overturned the council’s refusal, saying the benefits of the scheme would outweigh the harm.

She explained the Tinwell Road site was the only suitable location and that it would only create a very small increase in traffic.

Ms Moulton added: “Although the council suggested at the hearing that the A1 has been used in connection with drug dealing and people trafficking, there is no compelling evidence that the site would be particularly attractive to those carrying out such criminal activity.”

An Osprey Charging spokesperson said the hub will play a key role in supporting the local transition to electric vehicles, reducing emissions, and improving air quality in the region.

They added: “We are pleased to be bringing essential EV charging infrastructure to Stamford in South Kesteven, an underserved area of Lincolnshire, where high-powered charging provision per capita is among the lowest in the UK.”

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