On-street electric vehicle charging bays are set to be introduced across Leicester city centre later this year.
Leicester City Council is proposing to create 38 new electric vehicle charging bays at ten locations in and around the city centre following a successful bid for £480,000 of funding from the Government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles.
If the plan goes ahead, the prospect of having such charging points close to properties will be an extra selling point that landlords will be able to use to increase the attractiveness of their lets to potential tenants.
The new charging bays will replace some standard pay-and-display parking bays and will feature a mix of fast and rapid charging points.
Parking in the new charging bays will be free for electric vehicles on-street but there will be a charge at Dover Street and Glenfield Road car parks. Drivers will need to pay to use the chargers.
Rapid charging bays will have a daytime parking restriction of up to one hour. Fast charging bays will also have time restrictions on their use, but these will vary depending on location.
Any vehicle found parked in a charging bay without a cable attached will incur a penalty charge notice. All bays will be clearly signed as ‘Electric vehicle recharging point only’.
The charging bays are intended to provide a top-up service. Rapid chargers can give up to an 80 per cent charge within an hour, with fast chargers providing around half of that over two hours.
Evening parking in the charging bays will be unlimited and free for electric vehicles.
Deputy city mayor Cllr Adam Clarke, who leads on climate, economy and culture, says: “Supporting a shift towards cleaner, greener transport is a vital part of our air quality action plan and the city’s response to the climate emergency.
“The number of people that are choosing to drive ultra-low emission electric vehicles is growing and that is something we want to actively support. Extending the network of on-street charging points in Leicester – and making them easy and convenient to use – is one way we can help do that.”
Currently, there are over 2,350 electric vehicles registered in Leicester.
The ten locations where the new charging bays will be installed are as follows:
East Bond Street/New Bond Street
Fleet Street
Humberstone Road, close to its junction with Clyde Street
Peacock Lane
South Albion Street
Yeoman Street
Dover Street Car Park
Charles Street
Glenfield Road East Car Park
Belgrave Road Car Park (Donaldson Road)
If you have properties on or near these locations, it would be well worth adding to the list of benefits of said properties. The likelihood of tenants having an EV vehicle - especially with regards to professionals and professional couples - is growing by the month as people look to switch from combustion engine cars.
Local consultation on the proposal is due to take place this summer, with work to install the new chargers expected to begin soon after.
We'll keep you updated on the progress of this project over the coming months.
