New electric car charging points are planned for the Ards and North Down area.
At the local council’s meeting of its Environment Committee earlier this week, elected representatives noted a report by council officers planning 15 new charge points across the borough. The decision comes as a result of a successful application to access a new £20 million funding pot from the UK government known as the On Street Residential Charge Points Scheme.
The fund is only available to local authorities, and covers 75 percent of the costs of procuring and installing the charge points on streets - this is to reflect GB government structure where local authorities are in control of streets. NI councils are not in control of streets, but can apply for the grant to install charging points in council car parks, where the service is available 24 hours a day.
