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15.1
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Members considered a report of
the Executive Director of City Futures that detailed the
consultation response to proposals to introduce an on-street
residential chargepoint scheme (ORCS), report the receipt of
objections to the scheme and set out the Council’s
response.
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15.1.1
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Councillor Christine
Gilligan-Kubo declared an interest as the ward councillor for area
in which the scheme was based. This did not preclude her from being
involved in the discussions.
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15.1.2
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During the discussion of the
above item the Committee agreed, in accordance with Council
Procedure Rules, that as the meeting was approaching the two hours
and 30 minutes time limit, the meeting should be extended by a
period of 30 minutes
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15.2
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RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the
Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee:-
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Considers the objections to the TROs for the proposed on-street
residential chargepoint scheme (ORCS) and officer responses.
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Approves the making of the Traffic Regulation Orders in accordance
with the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
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Notes that all objectors will be informed of the decision prior to
implementation.
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15.3
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Reasons for
Decision
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15.3.1
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The scheme will provide new EV infrastructure
in areas where drivers wishing to charge an EV do not have access
to a private driveway or an off-street facility. This could reduce
inequalities and result in a greater use and uptake of EVs which
can contribute to the reduction in carbon emissions and the
contribute towards tackling the climate emergency.
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15.3.2
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This is one of the key drivers for this
project nationally, supporting a move away from the use of
traditional fossil fuels to cleaner technologies such as
electric.
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15.3.3
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The development of a public electric vehicle
charging infrastructure network contributes towards addressing
health inequalities and other causes and identifiers of inequality
in Sheffield as identified in the Equality Impact Assessment.
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15.3.4
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Increasing the number of public charging
points for electric cars was a popular ‘other’
suggestion during the consultation carried out in relation to the
Clean Air Zone, where in addition to the high cost of electric
vehicles, the lack of electric vehicle charging points was
highlighted as a key barrier to investing in cleaner vehicles.
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15.3.5
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The impact of the on-street spaces and
infrastructure on existing parking pressures in these areas should
be seen in context with the current and future benefits of the
facilities as well as the small amount of space that would be
needed out of the streets or car parks in each of these
neighbourhoods.
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15.4
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Alternatives
Considered and Rejected
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15.4.1
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The proposed on-street EV
chargepoints have been designed to minimise the space used, look to
comply with standards for accessibility where feasible and not
install lots of EV equipment on footways. Placing the EV
infrastructure on footways is an option but is not considered to be
appropriate as this would reduce footway widths which in many
residential areas are less than 2metres wide and so would introduce
a hazard to pedestrians.
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15.4.2
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Alternative designs for
on-street charging infrastructure that does not require a reduction
in footways were considered. These included larger buildouts which
then encourage drivers to access the chargepoint via the footway
level. This would require more space and so further reduce
opportunities for on-street parking. It was considered that the
need to have a minimal impact to on-street space whilst also making
the infrastructure as accessible as possible ruled out using a
larger island or buildout.
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15.4.3
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The council are investigating the potential
for charging EVs via streetlighting. However, there are technical
issues which need to be worked through in order to understand the
commercial viability as well as practical issues with the approach
for the City.
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15.4.4
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The EV chargepoints have been promoted with a
TRO as implementing EV infrastructure but not restricting the bays
usage to EVs would likely result in these facilities not being
available to those wishing to use them. However, the usage data
will be reviewed and the timings and extents of the restriction may
be recommended for change if it is considered that the space is
being underutilised. This would be subject to another TRO process
and consultation.
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