47 new electric vehicle charge points in council car parks thanks to £300k grant

An additional 47 new electric vehicle (EV) charge points are now available in Babergh and Mid Suffolk councils’ car parks, to help more people transition to EV cars and reduce emissions.

The 22kW fast charge points can charge two cars at the same time, resulting in 94 new EV parking bays spread across a number of council car parks in the districts.

Funded by a £300k grant from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV), their aim is to help more people transition to EV cars over the coming years – in turn helping to cut carbon emissions and reduce air pollution.

Mid Suffolk car parks with the new chargers are:  

• Ipswich Street  
  Stowmarket 
• Bury Street 
  Stowmarket  
• Milton Road 
  Stowmarket
• Iliffe Way  
  Stowmarket
• Union Street West
  Stowmarket
• Station Yard
  Needham Market
• Buckshorn Lane
  Eye
• Cross Street
  Eye

With the following Babergh car parks also benefitting:  

• Cock Inn 
  Lavenham 
• Girling Street 
  Sudbury 
• North Street 
  Sudbury
• Station Road
  Sudbury
• Maiden Way
  Hadleigh
• Stonehouse Road
  Hadleigh
• High Street
  Hadleigh

 Locations were specifically chosen to provide an off-street EV charging option for residents living nearby, who currently use on-street parking spaces.

However, they are also available for all other car park users – including visitors and tourists.

The chargepoints will be added to EV location services like Zapmap to make them as easy as possible to locate when planning a journey or visit.

Tim Weller, cabinet member for Environment, Culture and Wellbeing at Mid Suffolk District Council, said:  “Having the right infrastructure in the right place is key in helping our communities thrive – and our car parks are no exception. The new EV chargepoints in Mid Suffolk are just one of the steps we’re taking to support greener forms of transport, helping our residents reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality.

“Anyone considering the benefits of EV ownership; cheaper running costs, cleaner, more sustainable and quieter travel, needs to know the charging infrastructure is available. This will provide the confidence to switch, but we know not everyone is going to buy an EV overnight either.

“So, while some residents are already benefitting from these new chargers, they aren’t being used to their fullest just yet.”

And Daniel Potter, cabinet member for Environment at Babergh District Council, added: “Ensuring our facilities, including our car parks, are fit for the future is really important. Making sure we have enough EV infrastructure in the right places over the long term is a key part of that.

“It is vital we encourage greater numbers of people to shift to more environmentally sustainable modes of transport to help tackle climate change.

“These new EV charge points will play a greater and greater role in helping residents, as well as visitors and tourists to Babergh, to reduce their carbon emissions and improve air quality.” 

The addition of these new chargers brings Babergh District Council’s total number of EV charging bays to 60.

Similarly, Mid Suffolk’s total number of EV charging bays is now 55.

Across all Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils’ owned car parks there are the following total number of parking spaces (this includes both EV and non-EV bays, as well as Blue Badge, and coach and lorry spaces):

• Babergh: 1,569
• Mid Suffolk: 978

The number of EV chargepoints and bays installed per car park through the OZEV grant is listed in the table below: