Electric vehicle charging points

A key benefit of moving to electric vehicles is reducing carbon emissions. The council has committed to be carbon neutral in its operations by 2027 and to help the wider borough become carbon neutral by 2045. Electric vehicles have a lower whole-life carbon footprint than petrol and diesel vehicles, and given the UK’s progress towards greener electricity generation, these benefits will increase further in the future.

Additionally, Cheshire East Council is committed to improving air quality. Electric vehicles reduce emissions, particularly in congested urban areas where, stopping and starting, idling, and over-revving of petrol/diesel vehicles in queues produces high concentrations of emissions.

A mix of different charge point types will be needed to cater for varying needs.

Slow and standard chargers suit charging patterns where the driver will be leaving the vehicle for a considerable amount of time, such as a residential location, when visiting town/village centres or places of work. Rapid and ultrarapid chargers' suit on route charging, quick recharging at destinations, and support fleet vehicles due to their high-speed capabilities.

Many people install a personal charge point at home, however some people do not have the ability to do this and rely on charging their vehicle in public places. Additionally, for some journeys, electric vehicles need charging at destinations or part way through journeys. For these reasons a publicly available network of charge points is important.

At the beginning of 2024 there were approximately 8,000 electric vehicles registered within Cheshire East, and this is expected to increase to almost 100,000 by 2030. This figure does not include electric vehicles that travel into and through the borough, so the actual number of electric vehicles using the road network in Cheshire East will be higher.

Currently, the majority of publicly available charge points in Cheshire East have been funded and are operated by Charge Point Operators independently of Cheshire East Council (CEC). In general, there is a reasonable spread of publicly available charge points across the borough and a mix of fast chargers and rapid chargers. However there are key gaps within this network which CEC is aiming to fill in partnership with Charge Point Operators.

Forecasts of the number of charge points that will be needed to serve the anticipated number of EVs in Cheshire East have been produced. They show that approximately 300 publicly available charge points are needed by 2025 rising to around 1,300 charge points by 2030. This is a large increase on the present number of publicly available charge points in Cheshire East, which according to UK Government figures was 180 in April 2024.

A range of measures have been identified in the Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy to improve the charging network in Cheshire East. Measures that will help all residents, businesses and visitors access the charge points they need. To deliver these improvements CEC will work in partnership with Charge Point Operators, electricity network operators and local communities.

Key measures will include:

• Providing charging points in CEC car parks at key destinations such as town and village centres
• Providing charging points to support residents with no access to residential off-street parking.
• Providing on-route charging points to serve key traffic routes
• Providing charge points in rural areas.
• Providing charge points for CEC’s own fleet vehicles.

For a full list of measures and information about how this network will be delivered, operated and maintained, please see the Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy.

Currently Charge Point Operators install charge points in locations that are likely to return significant financial returns. If the roll out of charge points is left solely to Charge Point Operators, there is a risk some areas of Cheshire East may be left behind. CEC is proactively working to secure funding and guide the delivery of a charge point network that serves all areas of Cheshire East.

It is important that the roll out of electric vehicle charge points does not negatively impact on other users of the highway, particularly pedestrians and people with disabilities using footways. Within the Strategy, care has been taken to identify how charge points should be installed so the footway is not obstructed.

Another important consideration is ensuring all people can use and operate charge points. Charge points commissioned by CEC will be accessible to all users through their design and functionality.

For residents who have off-street parking on a private driveway, a personal EV charger can be installed subject to agreement with the landowner and electricity distribution network operator.

In circumstances where residents do not have off-street parking that can accommodate a charge point, CEC is working with partners to provide charging facilities for vehicles in car parks or on the public highway.

The Strategy sets out a hierarchy of residential charging solutions (with option 1 most preferred and option 4 least preferred):

1. Charge points funded by individuals or landlords at private off-street parking locations (e.g. personal driveways or private car parks) where this is possible.
2. CEC to facilitate the provision of charge points in publicly accessible car parks, within approximately 500m of residents who do not have off-street parking.
3. CEC to facilitate the provision of charge points in publicly accessible hubs at on-street locations (e.g. a collection of charge points in a consolidated location).
4. CEC to facilitate the provision of charge points in publicly accessible locations outside residential properties.

CEC recognises the potential to install cable channels within footways to serve EV charging cables. These would connect vehicles parked on the street, to personal charge points at properties. The council is planning to trial a range of these charging solutions for on-street charging. Consideration of cable channels will be context specific, and the particular location/characteristics would need to be considered prior to installation.

For any installation within the highway or footway, consent is required from CEC. Residents that would like to be involved in a trial should share their name, address, and email address to ltp@cheshireeast.gov.uk

It must be noted that the highway is a public space. Any provision of access to private charging solutions on the highway does not imply allocation of parking spaces on the highway to a single household. 

It is important that electric vehicle charging does not cause obstructions for people walking and cycling, and that accessibility for people with disabilities or with pushchairs/prams is not negatively impacted.

Under its duty as part of the Highway Act 1980, CEC considers that cables trailed across the footpath and the use of cable covers are not acceptable. Users may be liable for prosecution, including for any incidents arising because of careless placement of cables and use of cable covers that present an obstruction on the highway.