E-Planning - Parish Copies of Applications

Maidstone Joint Transportation Board

16 January 2019

 

Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Points

 

Decision Making Authority

Joint KCC and MBC

Lead Director

Simon Jones/William Cornall

Lead Head of Service

Tim Read/Rob Jarman

Lead Officer and Report Author

Tay Arnold, Planning Projects and Delivery Manager (MBC)

Wards and County Divisions affected

All

Which Member(s) requested this report?

Councillors Chittenden and Bird

 

 

This report makes the following recommendations:

 

That the progress to date regarding Electric Vehicles be noted.

 

 

 

 

 

Timetable

Meeting

Date

Maidstone Joint Transportation Board

16/1/19



Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Points

 

1.        ORIGIN OF REPORT

 

1.1   This report was requested by Councillors Chittenden and Bird in order to update the Maidstone Joint Transportation Board on the actions being taken by both Kent County Council and Maidstone Borough Council to encourage the use of electric vehicles, with specific regard to the provision of charging facilities.

 

2.        PURPOSE OF REPORT AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 

2.1     To provide information to Councillors about works taking place in Maidstone Borough and within Kent County Council to promote uptake of Electric Vehicles (EV) and Plugin Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV).

 

 

3.        INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

 

3.1     Objective 4 within the Maidstone Integrated Transport Strategy (ITS) is ‘reducing the air quality impacts of transport’.  This objective is underpinned by two key actions within the strategy regarding electric vehicles:

·         H6: Installation of additional electric charging points and the promotion of electric car use

·         UL/Zero Emissions 1: Encourage the provision of suitable infrastructure for Ultra-low and Zero emission vehicles throughout the borough

Officers have been working towards achieving these actions and the below report provides a summary of these activities.

 

3.2     Maidstone Borough Council also has a Low Emissions strategy which is intended to improve the air quality of the borough.  Aim 4 in the strategy is ‘to improve the emissions of the vehicle fleet in Maidstone beyond the ‘business as usual’ projection, through the promotion and uptake of low and ultra low emission vehicles’.  Underpinning the Low Emissions Strategy is an Action Plan.  Maidstone Borough Council, and in particular Environmental Health and Parking Services are working on progressing the actions within it relevant to this report.

 

3.3     MBC’s Parking Services are engaging with EV users to identify the best charging method and operation model in line with customer expectations.  Some proposed EGV point locations require significant civil works to upgrade the infrastructure to accommodate suitable electric supply.  This has been considered in the overall delivery plan and the most efficient sites have been selected in terms of locations and costs. Quotes for civil works undertaken by UK Power Network for each EV point location have been confirmed and these have been included in the future spend summary.

 

3.4     Once market testing is complete and the operational model agreed, parking Services will place an order with UK Power Network as the only supplier able to carry out the civil works and to proceed with the procurement/leasing of 8 EV Charger units for installation following completion of the civil works. This will help achieve action ‘Property/carbon management 2 – Increase electric vehicle infrastructure’ within the Air Quality Strategy Action Plan.

 

3.5     Within the Air Quality Strategy Action plan is ‘Planning 2: Adopt Kent and Medway Air Quality Planning Guidance.  Having made the necessary adaptations to suit MBC circumstances’.  MBC has now approved for planning application purposes an adapted version of the Kent & Medway Air Quality Practice Guidance. The guidance promotes the incorporation of EV charging points in qualifying schemes at a rate of 1 EV charging point per dwelling or 1 charging point per 10 communal parking spaces, generally secured by condition.  

 

3.6     Kent County Council (KCC) is currently drafting an Electric Vehicle Strategy to outline actions that will be taken to promote uptake in EV and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) across the county. This strategy is developing actions that can take place within KCC as an organisation to increase take up (such as KCC’s fleet and charging infrastructure for staff). Additionally, the actions will look at increasing charging infrastructure across the county in order to remove a perceived barrier to the public and businesses from switching to Electric Vehicles. This could be through testing new technologies on the highway (street column chargers for example) or promoting the availability of grants and technologies to local businesses.

 

3.7     To inform the strategy, KCC has commissioned a needs assessment to identify where charging infrastructure is likely to be needed over the next 3,5 and 10 years and what charging speeds will be required.  This is expected to be completed in January 2019. When the report is received, the data will be made available to all the Districts to assist in focussing efforts to install charging infrastructure where it will provide the greatest benefit to the public.

 

3.8     KCC is currently updating the Parking Planning Guidance (as part of the revised Kent Design Guide) to provide guidance to developers around charging infrastructure requirements in new developments. This is due to be published later in 2019.

 

3.9     KCC is working in partnership with six Districts (including Maidstone Borough Council) to bid to the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) Ultra Low Emission Taxi Infrastructure Scheme. If successful, the funding will enable KCC and the partnering Districts to install charging infrastructure to encourage a shift to ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs) for use as taxis and private hire vehicles.  The bid was submitted in November 2018, and it is anticipated that OLEV will announce the successful bids in February 2019.  This work supports action ‘Transport 8’ in Maidstone’s Low Emissions Strategy Action Plan which is to ‘Encourage use of Low and Ultra Low emission vehicles as taxis’.

 

3.10     Action Transport 10 within the Low Emission Strategy Action Plan is to ‘ensure that all EV Points are maintained and made available for the public’.  The accompanying context for this action highlights the importance of Local Authorities leading by example.  As part of this KCC is currently making changes to the parking and EV charging on County Road.  Work is currently underway to adjust the parking situation outside Sessions House in order to increase the amount or electric vehicle charging and Pay & Display (P&D) parking available to the public, as well as to improve the parking arrangements for the Car Club.  Where there were previously 2 EV charging spaces available for the public and 3 P&D spaces, there will soon be 4 EV charging spaces available for the public and 6 P&D spaces.  These changes have been brought forward by KCC’s Transport Innovations team after the new Car Club provider was able to switch the cars on KCC’s scheme to self-charging Hybrids, meaning that they do not require a reserved charging unit. This change was made to benefit the public by increasing EV charging availability, but also because the vehicles now provided are more efficient and preset better value for money.

 

3.11     The public consultation on these changes has been carried out with no objections, so the work to repaint the lines and amend the signage will be going ahead soon. It will also include improved Pay & Display signage to make it clearer which machine to use for which spaces, following a request from MBC parking services.

 

3.12     Good progress has been made to date by both councils working collaboratively to progress measures.  Several of these initiatives are in the early stages and as they progress towards completion a further report will be brought to this committee.

 

 

 

 

4.        AVAILABLE OPTIONS

 

NA

 

5.       PREFERRED OPTION AND REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION

 

This report is for information only, and therefore the Board are asked to note the report.

 

 

6.        REPORT APPENDICES

 

NA

 

 

7.        BACKGROUND PAPERS

 

9.1     MBC’s Low Emissions Strategy

http://www.maidstone.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/164674/Low-Emissions-Strategy-December-2017.pdf