Godwin Developments has secured planning permission for what it says will be Newcastle upon Tyne’s largest rapid charging electric vehicle hub.
However, the scheme in the village of Holystone will differ from the original plan. When the developer made its bid to North Tyneside Council in spring last year, it was partnered with Applegreen Electric, with the project including a conveniece store.
That changed after Applegreen Electric was replaced as operator by chargepoint provider InstaVolt, which did not want a grocery element in the project. Instead it will run the site with a drive-thru and sit down coffee shop with restrooms, open from 6am to 11pm.
The reconfigured site, adjacent to the A19 and south of the Holystone Roundabout, will feature 30 rapid charging bays and 24 additional parking spaces, nine of which will be accessible. It will also have cycle parking, pedestrian access and landscaping. And the 24-hour hub will be powered entirely by 100% certified renewable energy.
The building, which has been designed by Saunders Architects with sustainability in mind, says Godwin Developments, will feature natural materials, a glazed frontage to maximise natural light, and external and internal seating for customers. The coffee shop brand is to be announced.
Godwin Developments says the site, which will create 16 full and part-time jobs, will benefit from more than 62,000 daily traffic movements. It will also serve customers of the Premier Inn hotel and a Cookhouse + Pub restaurant next door, as well as catering to a “substantial catchment area” comprising residential, retail, and commercial properties, as well as popular parks and open spaces.
Simon Handslip, managing director of commercial development at Godwin Developments, says that the hub will address a “significant lack of rapid EV charging” in that part of Tyneside: “We are really pleased to have secured the green light to transform this prominent gateway site into Newcastle’s largest EV charging hub. The development directly supports North Tyneside’s goals to reduce transport-related emissions while also creating new jobs and attracting investment in the borough,” he says.
The project, expected to take 12 months to build, will be the second time that InstaVolt will enter an on-site refreshment partnership. Earlier this month it announced that it was working with Starbucks licensee Cobra Coffee on a electric vehicle charging superhub due to open near Winchester this spring.
This site, metres from the A34 at the Three Maids interchange, will have 44 charging bays, including extra-long options for van bays, and drive-through bays for towing vehicles.
There will also be a children’s play area onsite.
