Northumberland County Council has passed a motion to add 36 electric vehicle charging points at 26 locations, expanding its existing public charging network. The county covers a coastal region in northeast England, near the Scottish border, and includes Hadrian’s Wall and Northumberland National Park.
Of the new charge points, 78% will be installed on land owned by the council. The remaining chargers will be located on land owned by third parties under licensing agreements.
The infrastructure is being financed with just over £1 million in external funding from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement. The funding will be used to roll out the charge points until 2029. Revenue generated by the chargers is being used to meet running costs, management and maintenance.
An in-house EV team at the council will install and maintain the chargers. Cllr Richard Wearmouth, cabinet member with responsibility for transport, said: “It’s great to see more investment towards improving EV charging provision in Northumberland. We have one of the largest road networks in the country, and it is vital that we ensure we have the necessary facilities to help people get around.”
The region gained more sustainable transport a few months ago when 14 new BYD BD11 battery-electric buses entered service.