Parish Council calls on county to consider future EV charging needs

Hassocks Parish Council has encouraged West Sussex County Council (WSCC) to ‘futureproof’ electric vehicle charging in the village, particularly around flats and apartments.

The Parish’s Highways and Transportation Working Group recently discussed WSCC’s Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Installation consultation and shared local information on where future facilities may be most useful.

The consultation asked residents about 62 potential sites across West Sussex, where new on-street chargepoints could be installed at no cost to the public and without changing existing parking restrictions or priorities. The work would also prepare infrastructure for further expansion.

Although none of the proposed sites were in Hassocks, WSCC invited suggestions for future locations. Our village has on-street and public car park charging facilities sufficient for current demand, thanks in part to the Parish Council’s support for previous schemes. But we urged WSCC to ensure that additional infrastructure can be provided when and where needed.

With all new cars and vans moving to zero-emission requirements, convenient kerbside charging will become increasingly where home charging is not practical.

Local needs

The 2021 Census shows that most homes in Hassocks parish are detached or semi-detached, and many have driveways where home charging is likely to become the norm. Public and on-street charging will see higher demand from residents living in flats, maisonettes or apartments, which account for 14% of village households, and by some residents of terraced homes, which account for 9%.

These types of homes are concentrated in a few areas around Hassocks. Our analysis showed flats, maisonettes or apartments make up 87% of households in the Parklands Road and Windmill Avenue area, and 68% around the high street and Downsview Road. Parkside, Semley Road and Stafford Way also have notable concentrations.

Future suggestions

We suggested that WSCC investigate the Parklands Road and Windmill Avenue area, the high street and Downsview Road area, and Semley Road – which could also help serve the village west of the railway line.

WSCC’s EVI Project Support Officer, Lucy Watkis, thanked the Parish Council for our submission, saying “We greatly welcome engagement from parish councils and residents, and we would be happy to investigate the locations you have highlighted as part of our next site selection review.” She added that “Having reviewed some of your suggestions, I believe you have identified several promising locations that we will investigate further.”