As you may or may not be aware the Government has decreed that the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned by 2030 to aid the UK’s climate objectives. This got me thinking about the impact this will have on how we consider the sustainability of places, communities or settlements. At present places with limited facilities and/or lacking in public transport options are generally considered unsustainable locations therefore most new development (especially housing) is resisted. However, what happens if how we move around becomes entirely sustainable, for example via electric vehicles (EV’s). I appreciate, in reality, this is an oversimplification however hypothetically if I can get from A (let’s consider it an unsustainable location by current standards) to B in a zero emissions vehicle then is point A still an unsustainable location? Whilst true sustainability is not just about movement it appears to have become an oft mistaken focal point for decision making within planning.

This also ties into a whole raft of planning considerations, and it would appear the rise of the EV will invariably force us to alter our mindset on what we consider a sustainable location. This will have both positive and negative implications for many communities. It may open more settlements for new homes helping alleviate the crippling shortfall in housing (especially affordable) delivery across the country.

Conversely this will test the weight we accord to other material planning considerations such as biodiversity, settlement character and landscape impacts. This is of course someway off yet however consideration of future needs is the very essence of planning.

If EVs do rise as predicted, then obviously entirely new infrastructure will be required to ensure our new battery powered beasts of burden stay topped up, which is a major concern for many people who are on the fence about committing to an EV. The Government has committed to invest £1.6 billion in new charging infrastructure, both directly in charging facilities but also to grant to Local Authorities to create local funds. As part of this there are also grants for businesses and homeowners to install charging points at their properties. The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) is a grant that provides a 75% contribution to the cost of one chargepoint and its installation (obviously subject to various stipulations).  The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) is similar in that it offers grants of up to 75% of the cost but covers up to 40 charging points.

These grants are especially useful as we have noticed that Local Authorities are more inclined to lean in to and enforce any policies that require charging points on new developments.

In Summary

We will have to wait to see what the future holds however for the mean time developers; business owners and homeowners should take a look at the grants on offer and consider the benefits in implementing charging infrastructure now.