Agenda item

Gary Cowan asked the Executive Member for Planning and Enforcement the following question:

 

Question

At the Planning Committee on the 14th of August, various decisions were taken which had links to car parking and electric vehicle charging. For example at Matthew's Green for 16 residential units the provision was only 11 of which two were disabled and I expect two more to be electric vehicle charging and if so that will only leave 7 parking bays for 16 residential units.

 

As an aside to this menial provision at Matthews Green two planning applications by Wokingham council itself on school sites no provision has been made for electric vehicle charging. Is this one rule for residents and a different one for the Council’s own Planning Applications which conflicts with the Council’s so called climate emergency planning?

 

 

 

Minutes:

 

Question

At the Planning Committee on the 14th of August, various decisions were taken which had links to car parking and electric vehicle charging. For example at Matthew's Green for 16 residential units the provision was only 11 of which two were disabled and I expect two more to be electric vehicle charging and if so that will only leave 7 parking bays for 16 residential units.

 

As an aside to this menial provision at Matthews Green two planning applications by Wokingham Council itself on school sites no provision has been made for electric vehicle charging. Is this one rule for residents and a different one for the Council’s own Planning Applications which conflicts with the Council’s so called climate emergency planning?

 

Answer

All planning applications, as you know, recommended for approval, whether they are private or Council developments, are considered against the Council’s adopted and emerging guidance; including its parking standards.  All Council schemes require approval by the Council’s Planning Committee which would ensure consistency on these matters.

 

The Council’s emerging guidance on Electric Vehicle (EV) states:

 

E6 - For non-residential land uses including employment, leisure, education and retail, EV charging points will also be required.  Land uses with shorter stays such as leisure and retail should consider rapid chargers. Where they are active, the EV parking bays will need to be marked out and signed.  The following minimum levels of provision will be required if there is car parking:

              passive and active one charging point for every 20 spaces;

              5% of the car parking spaces to be passive and 5% active for purposes of more than 20 spaces.

 

In addition to this, further EV charging information and guidance is becoming available from Central Government and the Department for Transport.  As the Council is progressing, as you know, the Local Plan we will be looking at and will be updating and have the opportunity to review the current parking and EV charging requirements.

 

The parking provision for the Matthews Green scheme, being referenced, was discussed on the night of the Committee and clarification was given around the provision of disabled parking, which is located within the retail area and not in the residential element.  In respect to EV charging the following condition was applied to accommodate this:

 

“Prior to the first occupation of the residential units, details of electric vehicle charging within the local centre car park shall be submitted to the Council for written approval. The details as approved shall be installed prior to first occupation, and shall be maintained thereafter, unless otherwise agreed in writing with the Council.”

 

Supplementary Question

Looking at the request for climate advice in the press today and IMD 26, which I am very pleased to say was postponed to 2 October instead of earlier on this evening, I am hoping that my supplementary will be considered helpful.

 

Where I have difficulty is getting my head around is the EU legislation which goes back to July 2018 and as we are in a climate emergency the building blocks that are available for us to use are the Building Regulations and planning changes now and not tomorrow to affect changes other planning authorities have already done.  This report, the Executive decision which is delayed to next week, it goes on to say that the saving installing a retrofit situation for a charging point the saving is £1,000 against a retrofit which is over £2,000.  If all goes to plan from now until 2026 we are scheduled to build another 5,600 houses.  If we use the guidelines set out in the IMD 26 report only 300 houses will have unplugged charging points and the other 5,300 will not. 

 

From 2026-2030 when we will be carbon neutral we will build another 4,000 odd houses and only 800 of those will have unplugged charging points.

 

My question is if we follow the schedule how does this delayed introduction fit in with climate neutral 2030 when the occupants of about 9,500 houses will not have unplugged charging and will cost them about £2k a plot to get it?  Will that encourage them to buy an electric car?  Is this not an opportunity, this report here which is Executive IMD26 that is being dealt with next week, to rewrite IMD26 to further the Council’s aims and ambitions in its climate change emergency planning?

 

Supplementary Answer

I think you are absolutely right Gary and I think the emerging Local Plan, as we have got another major issue on that which is parking standards, we do need to consider that and I agree with you the sooner we get the detail out I think anything we can do that will help get to carbon neutral because that is not going to be an easy task being carbon neutral by 2030.  Having spent the last 20 years in energy efficiency I know how difficult it is.  But I do agree.  I think it is something that we are going to have to seriously look at and get provision in all of our new houses to have that.