Plan for 2,000 EV charging points gets green light

As many as 2,000 new electric vehicle (EV) charging points could be installed in Wiltshire, thanks to a £10m investment plan.

The focus will be on providing charging points for residents who do not have space for one outside their home.

Councillor Martin Smith, from Wiltshire Council, said a lack of charging points was "a major barrier to EV uptake" in Wiltshire. "We're behind the curve in Wiltshire [and] this is a starting point," he said.

The investment plan includes £3.9m of government funding and a potential £6.1m of private investment targeting areas without EV infrastructure.

Transport is the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Wiltshire and boosting electric vehicle use is one way the council hopes to reach its own net zero targets.

There are 117 public chargers for every 100,000 residents in Wiltshire, below the South West average of 157 and the national average of 175.

The funding from the government is designed to help meet the need for electric charging points where the commercial market cannot.

Smith said the new points would "address this market failure in provision".

He said: "We need to bridge this gap."

Five rural communities - Mere, Tisbury, Market Lavington, Lyneham, and Burbage - have been earmarked for rapid chargers, which could be used by both local residents and motorists travelling through the county.

Colin Graney lives in Lyneham and regularly drives 30 miles a day as part of his job as a gardener.

"I am pro more charge points but where are they going to put them?," he said.

"There is definitely a demand.

"You regularly see people with cables hanging out their windows to try and charge their cars."

The cabinet approved the plans which means they can start the process of finding a commercial operator early next year.

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