Electric charging points set for Shropshire Council car parks

Council officers are currently working on a scheme for 10 charging points at Frankwell Car Park in Shrewsbury.

This would be supported by further charging points at Shirehall in Shrewsbury, Ludlow, Church Stretton and Oswestry, with plans to roll it out across the whole county.

Councillor Simon Harris, deputy portfolio holder for public transport, was unable to give a cost for the programme of works, but confirmed users would have to pay for the service.

He continued: “Most councils are interested in this knowing what the benefits are going to be in bringing people into their towns.

“It is great how it is going to progress and it has really taken off.”

Councillor Harris said following discussions with suppliers the units that would charge the vehicles would also have facilities to charge for parking and would be able to monitor air quality.

He also said the unitary authority has plans to switch its entire vehicle fleet to run on electric.

He added: “This is quite an exciting project.

“It would mean that every vehicle with a Shropshire Council logo would be environmentally-friendly.”

A strategy paper is due to be completed by the end of this week with a view to rolling out the scheme over the coming months.

It comes after the Government announced a £400 million investment in the UK’s electric car charging infrastructure last November, while last week Transport Secretary Chris Grayling revealed plans to install electric vehicle charging points on street lighting and on-street parking spaces.

Councillor Steve Davenport, portfolio holder for highways and transport, commented: “This is a big piece of work but we want to bring a green commitment to Shropshire and reduce commissions as well.”

Several electric vehicle charging points are already in existence across Shropshire, including Euro Garages in Shrewsbury and Oswestry, and the Co-Op in Cleobury Mortimer.

By Emily Lloyd, local democracy reporter.