Boost for electric vehicles as South Norfolk village switches on new public charge points

The first of what it is hoped will be many electric vehicle charge points at village halls across Norfolk is set to be officially switched on this week in Dickleburgh near Diss.

The new 'Fast' 7.2kW chargers have been installed as part of the County Council's Electric Vehicle Strategy, approved in autumn 2021, which aims to help remove some of the barriers to electric vehicle usage in the county.

Cllr Martin Wilby, Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Transport, said: "I hope this will be a blueprint for other similar schemes right across the county as we are looking to support the rollout of publicly accessible electric charging points to meet both current and future demand. Alongside our plans to improve bus services and boost active travel, such as cycling and walking, this is one of the key ways that we can help reduce carbon emissions in Norfolk."

This is the first scheme funded by Norfolk County Council, through money allocated by the local county councillor as part of their Local Member Highway Fund.

Cllr Barry Duffin, County Councillor for West Depwade, which includes Dickleburgh, said: "It's great to see this innovative scheme spark so much interest. I'm proud that Dickleburgh is ahead of the game and it's been wonderful to work closely with the Parish Council and highway officers to get this up and running."

The brand-new facility at The Centre at Dickleburgh will be able to charge three cars at one time.

Terry Clarkson, Chairman of the Village Centre Management Committee, said: "We have been campaigning to add electric car chargers to the Village Centre for a few years now. We recognised there was a real need to create these points in order to encourage electric car use and to further push the green agenda in Norfolk. We are delighted to be the first parish in Norfolk to install car chargers through this scheme."

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With the national ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, the uptake of electric vehicles is set to increase rapidly over the next decade. As cars and vans make up nearly a fifth of carbon emissions, this shift is set to bring significant reductions in carbon emissions across the UK.

Norfolk County Council has funded the installation and also been involved in the coordination of the charging points, by arranging site meetings between the Parish Council, and installer Anglia Car Charging. Once installed, the charge points are taken on by the parish to run and maintain as a local asset.

Dickleburgh is the first parish to have a charge point installed and activated through this process that's been paid for through Local Member Highway Funding - a £10,000 sum that every county councillor is able to allocate for small-scale local highway and environmental projects in their division.

The charger will cost 35p per kwh to use, and there's no need to book. Depending on the vehicle, this will provide around 25 miles of range for £2.50, around half the cost as the same journey using petrol or diesel. It usually takes 6 hours for a full charge or much less time for a quick top up.