Barnet Council is to spend £4.65m installing 500 electric vehicle charge points by November 2022 after securing government funding.
The £3.5m grant from the On-Street Residential Charge Point Scheme (ORCS) is the largest sum awarded to any local authority by the scheme to date and covers 75% of the expected project costs, the maximum available.
Barnet currently has the second highest rate of electric car ownership in London and the grant will see the charge points installed in 34 of Barnet’s residential streets by November 2022.
ORCS funds local authorities to provide public charge points for residents who do not have access to off-street parking.
The 34 streets have been selected based on resident request, suitability for installing on-street charge points and where off-street parking is not possible.
Barnet Council is developing plans to build a comprehensive infrastructure to support EVs and says it will ensure charging demand will continue to be met as need grows.
Cllr Dean Cohen, chairman of the Barnet Council Environment Committee, said, “As we approach 2030 – the government’s target of no new sales of petrol or diesel cars – demand for electric vehicles will continue to boom year on year.
“We welcome this major funding from the ORCS as it will allow us to greatly expand Barnet’s infrastructure for electric vehicle charge points and help ensure that lack of access to off-street parking is not a barrier to owning an electric vehicle for our residents.
“Enhanced access to on-street charging will help to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles, improve air quality in Barnet, and play a fundamental role in achieving the commitments in our forthcoming Sustainability Strategy.”
