Experts warn Blackpool needs many more electric vehicle charging points

Currently the town has just 30 sockets for public use which is the 25th lowest number out of all local authorities in the UK, according to a report by consultants City Science.

City Science has produced a five year electric vehicle strategy for the council, which has been approved by members of the executive committee.

It says priorities include trialing on-street charge points for the 65 per cent of Blackpool residents who do not have their own driveways so cannot install private chargers.

Lamp post chargers are among solutions put forward for those who rely on on-street parking.

The report warns a key priority is “how we can provide charging solutions for these residents.”Provision must also be made for Blackpool's tourism industry as more visitors are expected to travel to the resort by electric vehicle in future.

The town will have to look to car parks owned by the council, or privately owned such as by supermarkets and hotels, while charging points could also be installed in on-street parking bays.

The report says: "We anticipate that in 2027 23 per cent of vehicles owned in Blackpool will be an EV (electric vehicle).

"The key purpose of this strategy is preparing Blackpool for this transition by working towards ensuring there is adequate infrastructure to respond to demand.

"This will help future proof the economic well-being of the town by ensuring it can respond to visitor demand – which is of vital economic importance."

While the Government has set aside £500m to help local authorities deliver electric vehicle infrastructure, the report recommends the council work with private operators to attract investment.

Sites would include the council's 22 car parks, some of the more than 1,000 on-street parking bays as well as chargers being provided at new developments such as Blackpool Central which will have 25 at the multi-storey car park currently under construction.

Another proposal is for the 49 ultra rapid chargers planned for installation at Blackpool Transport's Rigby Road bus depot to be shared with the public during the day.

Pressure on the existing energy network from the roll out of EV chargers also needs to be considered.

The report adds: "Blackpool Council has insufficient resources to address the EV infrastructure challenge alone, therefore collaboration across the public and private sector will be key to successful delivery.

"An important role for the council is therefore to cascade the vision outlined in this strategy and to initiate and harness partnership opportunities, utilising the forecasts as an evidence base for securing investment."

City Science adds "the forecasts anticipate delivery of 210 charge points is required by 2027", but suggests this number is reviewed annually "to ensure it reflects policy, societal and technological changes."

What people think of the strategy

A public consultation exercise as part of work on the EV strategy found affordability, reliability and ease of use vital to the adoption of electric cars.

But concerns were raised especially from people living in terraced streets, about access to shared chargers.

One participant in the survey warned "neighbour disputes will become huge the more common electric vehicles become, as people will need to charge them overnight with no facility to do so."

Another said "I live down a street where I have no drive way. I want to buy an electric car but been put off by the fact I might not be able to park outside my house to charge the car."

Fears were also raised about some people "hogging points and making parking even more difficult for home owners that do not have a drive."

Responsibility for maintaining charging points, and ensuring prices were fair were also among issues raised.

But people agreed Blackpool needed to move forward with introducing the technology, including to support the town's tourism economy.

One respondent said "both the council and private sector have a responsibility to keep the town vibrant and up to date with technology.

"The council does not have the funds to provide all of the necessary framework so private sector should contribute as they will benefit from keeping the visitor numbers up."

Another said "To draw people to an attraction, having a charger is a major plus point. The same applies to drawing people into this town. We should be leading the way as we are a leading tourist destination."

Another consideration should be the power output of charging points "as this will determine the amount of charge points required", with vehicles able to recharge more quickly at sockets with the most power.

FactfileThe sale of new petrol and diesal cars will be phased out by 2030.

Battery-powered electric vehicles represented 17 per cent of all new car registrations in September 2022.

Blackpool currently has low EV uptake with less than one per cent of privately registered vehicles in the town ULEVs (ultra low emission).

Forecasts suggest this could rise to 23 per cent by 2027, and to 57 per cent in 2032, although those figures may be affected by the economic downturn.