Portsmouth set to approve 59 new on-street EV charging bays

The proposals will be decided at a council transport meeting on 19 June. The new bays are part of the On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS), which aims to help people who don’t have driveways charge their electric cars near home.

A public consultation on the plans received 222 objections and 23 messages of support. People were mostly worried about losing parking spaces, noise, and chargers being placed directly outside homes. Others said there weren’t enough electric cars in their area yet to justify the bays.

But the council is moving forward, with funding from the government and private company Zest. The council said the bays are being installed because local residents have asked for them. In the report, officers explained: “All requests for chargepoint locations are from residents living in the area who own or will own plug-in vehicles.”

They added: “It is anticipated there would be high and growing demand for chargepoints, and multiple vehicles will use them.”

Two planned bays – outside 55 Kirby Road and 74 Inhurst Road – will be dropped due to strong objections and technical issues. A third bay on Locarno Road will be moved slightly to make space for a possible disabled parking bay.

The chargers will use existing lamp posts and small bollards, offering slower overnight charging. They’ll only be for electric vehicles while charging and will be monitored by the council’s parking team.

Work is expected to start in July and finish by the end of September. The council says this work is part of a bigger plan to help clean up the city’s air and prepare for the future, as petrol and diesel cars are phased out.

With only 36 per cent of Portsmouth homes having off-street parking, the council says on-street chargers are essential. They added: “The proposed bays are not dedicated to individuals and are available to any EV user.”

Residents can view the full list of proposed locations here.