Agenda item

Report of the Assistant Chief Executive - Legal and Democratic Services.

Petition referred to the committee for consideration – EV Charging Points Installation in Knaresborough:

 

Mark Codman (Democratic Services) introduced the item and outlined the Committee’s possible courses of actions following consideration of the petition. The report provided a summary of the petition and some background information to enable the Committee to debate the issue and make a recommendation.

 

The following was read out by Mark Codman (Democratic Services) on behalf of the petitioner (Kelly Teggin) to introduce the petition:

 

Knaresborough has been part of a pilot scheme to introduce the necessary EV charging point infrastructure to achieve targets expected to be required by 2038. Like any market town there is a recognition of the need for this transition and that the provision of such charging points can be an attraction to visitors and residents a like if introduced at the right time and in the right place.  However, in this case the implementation of charging points in the Chapel Street car park and at Conyngham Hall have both, in the view of those signing the petition, been badly handled in terms of consultation and the choices made.  They are causing significant negative impact on traders in the town centre, on our attractiveness to visitors and potentially to the environment through increased congestion associated with the choice of Chapel Street as a location for 10 charging points.

 

We recognise that contracts have been signed between the Council and the third-party provider which, if not renegotiated will continue to cause harm to local trading conditions for months if not years to come.  However, this contract has not been in line with initial consultation on the appropriate location of charging points and, as outlined in our detailed submission, is causing significant harm to the Town.  We also understand that lessons learnt from the poor implementation of this scheme will be applied to other locations, but Knaresborough is left with the impact.

We therefore call on the Council to:

 

1)    Seek to renegotiate the contract for the Chapel Street chargers and consider a phased approach to the 10 active EV Chapel Street town centre spaces, e.g., monitor usage and have some as mixed use during the day (8am-6pm) until the demand for EV charging points increases.  Current figures show the EV only spaces are underused by 80%.  The spaces could still be used for resident charging overnight between 6pm and 8am.  A 14-hour available charging period is much more realistic than the 4hr daytime limit, which only allows for an added range of 28 miles.

 

2)    Actively engage with the third party with whom NYC has the EV contract for Knaresborough to see if a compromise can be reached, as outlined above, especially given that the town was a pilot location.

 

3)    Provide clarity on whether electric vehicles are permitted to park in EV only spaces, even if they are not charging.

 

4)    Improve the signage around EV parking and the Car Club scheme in Knaresborough and raise awareness about the latter.

 

5)    Monitor the air quality in and around Chapel Street as a consequence of the additional congestion and pollution.

 

6)    Urgently to introduce a park and ride scheme that links the York Place long stay car park (suffering from poor pedestrian access to the Town Centre) to compensate for the loss of Town Centre parking and consider extending this to Conyngham Hall.

7)    Remove the parking restrictions in the Conyngham Hall tourist car park and make the 14 inactive EV only spaces available to all until a hook up date is fixed.

 

8)    Monitor usage of the 14 EV Conyngham Hall spaces once these are activated and ensure that supply and demand are proportional for current needs.

 

9)    Improve all signage for car parking on each entry point to the town including real time information about availability of places.

 

The following supporting information was read out:

 

a) Knaresborough has a growing population of over 15,000. The town is geographically divided into two distinct areas by steep cliffs and hills, the main tourist area being down by the river and the town centre at the top of the cliffs. 

 

b) A large amount of new housing has been approved and built on the outskirts of Knaresborough in the past three years. These include two developments of over 1000 car dependent houses off the A59 York Road to the eastern edge of Knaresborough, multiple new developments off Boroughbridge Road at the opposite side of town and further developments on the edge of Starbeck. This has significantly increased the size of town's population and catchment, without corresponding infrastructural improvements and at a time when the town's public transport services are deteriorating rather than improving.  

 

c) The businesses and residents of Knaresborough are not against EV vehicles and recognise the need for the town to be welcoming to EV vehicle owners going forward. However, we have serious concerns about the implementation and timing of the project, the significant connection delays and the associated impact on less mobile residents/visitors, town centre traffic flow, congestion, pollution, parking and the local economy.

 

Town Centre parking and Chapel Street EV charging points

 

d) The main town centre and castle are separated from the Waterside area by steep cliffs, steps and hills. The town centre has a high concentration of independent retailers, service, hospitality and appointment-based businesses and is served by 174 Short Stay car parking spaces according to the NYC web pages.  However, the town centre also has a high proportion of residential housing without off street parking, meaning that many of these car park spaces are used by resident permit holders. There are a further 240 spaces located further out at York Place Long Stay car park, which serves tourists entering the town from the A1 and busy A59 York Road, a car park with poor pedestrian access to the Town Centre.

 

e) There are 10 active EV only charging points in the main town centre 4hr short stay accessible shoppers car park next to the shops and businesses. They are all 7kW chargers that are best suited to overnight or longer periods of charging than permitted in the Chapel Street 4hr Short Stay car park during the day. For a typical EV 4hrs of charging would only give an added range of c.28 miles. This would be like visiting the petrol station and only putting a gallon of fuel in and having spoken to EV users, is something they are unlikely to do unless absolutely necessary. Regular monitoring of these spaces by businesses show that, on average, only 2 are used at any one time. This is in addition to an EV space occupied by an electric Car Club car, which people can hire on a daily or weekly basis, but for which there has been minimal or no publicity and therefore minimal if any use. The other EV spaces are empty the majority of the time. Official data provided by the council also indicated that these EV spaces are currently under-ultilised by 80%. Having 8 places unused out of 174 official town centre car parking places is a 5% reduction.  If we assume that an average stay in a town centre parking place is 2hrs then on a busy day 8 lost spaces between the hours of 10am and 4pm would equate to 24 lost opportunities for shoppers, and therefore local businesses, to trade.  

 

f) There is no clear signage about the Car Club scheme and there has been no local publicity about it, so there is an expensive electric vehicle occupying a space and rarely, if ever, being used. A local business owner saw the Council painting 'Car Club Only Space' on the tarmac before the car occupied the space and looked the details up online. This is the only knowledge of the scheme. This text is now not visible as the car is covering it and there is no other signage.

 

g) There is also no clear signage relating to the 10 active Chapel Street EV only spaces and nothing to indicate whether electric vehicles are permitted to use them even if they're not charging.

 

h) The Chapel Street Short Stay car park, where the EV points are located, has only one entry/exit point. Because of the positioning of the spaces at the visible edge of the car park, people in petrol and diesel cars are driving in thinking they are available and then are causing hold ups trying to turn around and come out of the exit as others are queuing to come in. This is particularly problematic on Wednesday Market Day when the 14 Market Place parking spaces are unavailable and all other town centre short stay spaces are full and also on a Saturday. Cars are repeatedly driving round the Market Place/High Street loop to try and park and there are traffic flow issues by Chapel Street car park, where the town centre EV points are located. It is causing congestion and pollution in the town centre which all concerned would rather avoid 

 

i) The Chapel Street Short Stay car park is situated opposite COGS (Centre on Gracious Street), an important community asset which includes a pre-school and community support services and activities. 

 

j) It is our understanding that in the original Council documents, some or all of the 10 Chapel Street town centre EV charging points were supposed to be located in the York Place Long Stay car park. However, a covenant by Sam Smith's Brewery made this problematic. The location for all 10 town centre EV spaces was therefore switched to the Chapel Street Short Stay car park without further consultation. The car park only has 56 spaces in total and is amongst the busiest in town all year round.

 

k) Knaresborough was part of a pilot scheme, and it has been admitted that mistakes were made and lessons learned.  It is understood that the countywide EV roll out will be approached differently. However, despite this, the feedback to date has been that there is no option for a mixed use phased approach in the Chapel Street car park, as it would be breach of contract (the contract states the spaces must be EV only and also available without parking charges overnight to encourage electric vehicle ownership amongst residents who have no off street parking at their homes). The number of spaces installed in Knaresborough actually represents the total allocation up to 2038, but these were all installed in one go. It is our understanding that this will not be the case in other towns in North Yorkshire

 

l) Many independent shops and appointment-based businesses in the town have reported customers feeding back that they will no longer be using businesses in Knaresborough, as it is too difficult to park. This is particularly true of older and less mobile customers who are often finding it problematic to park within a distance that they are physically able to walk, especially on Market Day and Saturdays. Customers have also reported that they have attempted to come to Knaresborough for lunch, meetings or to use the shops, but have left again, as they have been unable to park. Very frequent train strikes and significant disruptions to the Harrogate - Knaresborough bus routes over the past year are also adding to the issues

 

m) At a time when small independent businesses are facing numerous external challenges, it is vital that footfall is maintained, especially for the town's seasonal businesses who rely almost entirely on summer trade. A thriving local circular economy not only benefits the town, it's residents and businesses, but also the Council in terms of its own revenue. Additionally, a strong local economy and a diverse range of businesses means that those who do live within walking distance of the town centre, or on regular public transport routes, are more likely to have the majority of their needs met by Knaresborough's local shops and services. This decreases car journeys to other destinations out of town and helps reduce pollution and congestion. 

 

n) As mentioned previously, Knaresborough is geographically challenged. Of the 800 spaces frequently mentioned by the council in response to our concerns, 425 are located at the bottom of the steep cliffs and hills in the Waterside tourist car parks and too far away for them to be of practical use to most people carrying shopping or with mobility problems. They are also needed to serve the town's many day visitors during the busy tourist season. Excluding York Place Long Stay car park, which is further out, there are only 174 short stay car park spaces adjacent to the Market Place shops and businesses and many of the spaces in the Castle Yard car park are used by resident permit holders.

 

Tourist and recreational parking and Conyngham Hall EV charging points

 

o) The Waterside area and its picturesque viaduct is popular with both locals and day visitors, with recent research showing Knaresborough to be the third most instagrammed location in Yorkshire, after the North York Moors and York Minster. This area is home to a number of cafes, ice cream kiosks, boating businesses and England's Oldest tourist attraction, Mother Shipton's Cave. Trade is strongly seasonal, with a number of these businesses closing completely between November and March. The area is largely served by the 4hr short stay car park on Waterside and the Long Stay car park at Conyngham Hall, which account for 425, or over half of Knaresborough's 839 parking spaces as detailed on the NYC web pages. The area is also home to the community outdoor games at Conyngham Hall.  These car parks are unsuitable for shopping purposes for local residents due to steep hills and distance from the main shops.

 

p) The 14 EV points in the main tourist car park at Conyngham Hall were installed at the start of the year, but when Cllr Matt Walker approached the electric company recently to enquire when they would be activated, no specific date had yet been booked in. There has been a parking suspension notice in place throughout this time and the spaces are clearly marked with EV parking only. To have 14 unused spaces in the main tourist car park during Knaresborough's high season, when the car park is busy and they can't yet be used as charging points, makes no sense at all. It represents lost revenue for the council, puts tourists off returning to the town and is damaging to Knaresborough's many businesses who rely on seasonal trade.

 

q) In addition, the adjacent Henshaw’s Arts and Crafts Centre (which allows people living with a range of disabilities explore their talents), has reported that its Art Makers are struggling to park in the Centre's own private car park due to the spaces being used inappropriately by visitors when the Conyngham Hall car park is full. 

 

 

The Chairman thanked Mark Codman and invited the Committee to debate the petition.

 

In response to a question from Councillor Matt Walker Keisha Moore (Senior Transport Planning Officer) advised that she would circulate utilization figures to Members after the meeting. KM also explained that there was no specific TRO governing parking in the EV bays and therefore any vehicle could currently park without being fined. A review of the County’s TROs was currently underway and certain conditions were subject to Government decision and not related to the contract with the Supplier of the EV units. Once a decision on the TRO’s had been made the Council would then be able to enforce the bays as EV only.

 

Councillor Lacey expressed disappointment that the report stated there were 800 parking spaces in Knaresborough and it was incorrect to describe Conyngham Hall as a ‘town centre’ car park – it was in fact a half mile walk up a reasonably steep hill. There were only 174 short stay car park spaces in Knaresborough Town Centre

 

Members discussed the issue that there was a certain amount of negative media about EV cars and a portion of the populace were significantly opposed to them sometimes leading to actions such as intentional blocking of EV bays.

 

Councillor Matt Walker proposed the following motion, the motion was seconded by Councillor Peter Lacey:

 

The ACC supports EV charging to reduce pollution in the town but acknowledges EV charging point installation has been poorly implemented in Knaresborough due to inadequate engagement and communication with local residents, business and local councillors. The ACC support the 9 requests from the presenter of the petition (see below*). In addition to this the ACC request a full review of all parking in Knaresborough within the next 6 months to ensure spaces, pricing and locations are in line with the needs of the town for both residents and visitors. We also call on NYC to develop a strategy for EV charging, including on street charging, rather than rely on piecemeal funding and projects that run the risk of poor implementation, undertaking appropriate engagement to ensure local resident buy-in.

 

*We therefore call on the Council to:

 

1)    Seek to renegotiate the contract for the Chapel Street chargers and consider a phased approach to the 10 active EV Chapel Street town centre spaces, e.g. monitor usage and have some as mixed use during the day (8am-6pm) until the demand for EV charging points increases. Current figures show the EV only spaces are underused by 80%. The spaces could still be used for resident charging overnight between 6pm and 8am. A 14-hour available charging period is much more realistic than the 4hr day time limit, which only allows for an added range of 28 miles.

 

2)    Actively engage with the third party with whom NYC has the EV contract for

Knaresborough to see if a compromise can be reached, as outlined above, especially given that the town was a pilot location.

 

3)    Provide clarity on whether electric vehicles are permitted to park in EV only s               paces, even if they are not charging.

 

4)    Improve the signage around EV parking and the Car Club scheme in Knaresborough and raise awareness about the latter.

 

5)    Monitor the air quality in and around Chapel Street as a consequence of the additional congestion and pollution.

 

6)    Urgently to introduce a park and ride scheme that links the York Place long stay car park (suffering from poor pedestrian access to the Town Centre) to compensate for the loss of Town Centre parking and consider extending this to Conyngham Hall.

 

7)    Remove the parking restrictions in the Conyngham Hall tourist car park and make the 14 inactive EV only spaces available to all until a hook up date is fixed.

 

8)    Monitor usage of the 14 EV Conyngham Hall spaces once these are activated and ensure that supply and demand are proportional for current needs.

 

9)    Improve all signage for car parking on each entry point to the town including real time information about availability of places.

 

 

Members discussed whether there were options for a more flexible approach to EV charging such as on street or charging from lampposts. Councillor Walker was keen to see the Council develop a strategy for EV charging that included on street charging and avoided piecemeal projects and funding.

 

In response to the proposal Councillor Harrison explained that he was concerned that it was not feasible to urgently set up a park and ride scheme and several of the points in the proposal had significant budgetary implications that would need further exploration

 

Councillor Haslam was not supportive of the proposals in part due to the language used – suggesting the scheme was ‘poorly implemented’ was not supportive of the effort officers had made into the implementation of the scheme and he supported taking a more joined up approach in working with officers to achieve something that worked for all.

 

A vote was taken on the proposed motion and six members voted for the motion, four voted against.

 

Resolved – 

 

The ACC supports the motion proposed by Councillor Matt Walker.