Top 50 Indie Rontec has applied for planning permission to install seven EV charge bays at its Fulwood Service Station in Garstang Road, Preston.
The plans describe how, as part of the proposed development, six car parking spaces would be removed from the site with the new charge bays sitting in front of the existing car wash. There would be vac machines in every other charging bay. The charging units and vac machines would all be located in a concrete terrace with a 3.5m high cantilevered steel canopy finished with a glazed roof.
The installation of the EV spaces would be supported by associated charging infrastructure including an LV meter cabinet and a sub-station. The LV equipment compound would be located towards the north western corner of the site, while the sub-station and LV meter cabinet would be sited towards the north eastern corner, with low energy floodlighting mounted to the rear of shop so it does not intrude on the neighbouring properties.
Addressing the loss of the car parking spaces, the application said it did not expect this to impact car parking capacity at the service station, as there would still be six car parking spaces left. It also noted that while the primary purpose of the EV bays was to charge EVs, these spaces could also be utilised by all vehicles provided that the bays were not in use for charging.
The application also stated “Given the government’s support for EVs, it is necessary for service stations to evolve so that they can continue to provide an important service for customers. In this context, this development, which proposes to introduce seven EV bays, is sustainable and is therefore considered to be in line with both national and local policies. The proposed development should therefore be supported by the council.”
