Issue details

Decision made and reasons:

Decision:

·       To continue to make and implement the Traffic Regulation Order to enable the enforcement of the electric vehicle charging only parking bays in five neighbourhood shopping centre locations.

Reason:

The Council have commenced with the installation of EVCPs in the Council’s car parks, the enforcement of the EVCP bays in off-street car parks is already covered by the existing off-street Traffic Regulation Order (TRO), however, there is a need to install new information boards in the car parks that have not previously had EVCPs installed in them.

It has also been identified that the parking areas in neighbourhood shopping centres are not covered by the off-street TRO, so enforcement of these spaces is not permitted. Enforcement will only be applicable to vehicles that are not electric that are parked in the EVCP bays, or for electric vehicles that park in the EVCP bays but are not connected up to the charger.

There was a need to undertake a statutory consultation to introduce a TRO in these parking areas to enable enforcement of the EV only bays to be legally conducted. A previous Portfolio Holder decision was made as part of this undertaking: Decision - PH-012-2024-To undertake a statutory consultation on the enforcement of Electric Vehicle Charge Point (EVCP) bays in neighbourhood shopping centre locations.

The neighbourhood shopping areas that will be covered by the TRO is as follows:

·       Leverstock Green – (off-street)

·       Bennetts End – (off-street)

·       Queens Square – (off-street)

·       Bellgate – (off-street)

·       Henry Wells Square – (on-street)

The statutory consultation to enforce EVCP bays in neighbourhood shopping centre locations was undertaken on the Council’s corporate consultation platform ‘Lets talk, Dacorum’. The statutory consultation was drafted by the Council’s parking consultants ADL Traffic & Highways Engineering Ltd.

The consultation has now concluded and having considered the feedback, Parking Services now recommends continuing to make and implement the Traffic Regulation Order as proposed.