Residents in a Braehead street have accused Stirling Council of not listening to local concerns as a new electric charging point is installed in the area.
The new charging point – including four spaces – has been placed in Almond Court after council chiefs said they had received a “high volume of requests” from locals.
But some on the street have questioned the location of the charging point in an already busy street and blasted the level of consultation carried out ahead of the plans.
Marion Afzal, whose property backs on to the new charging point, told the Observer: “I just came out of my house and there was a van parked there and the guys in it said I couldn’t park my car there any more because there was an electric charging point going in.
“Nobody knew about it until I told my neighbours.
“This is a public pathway that everyone uses so I think we should have had some disruption notices.
“This is the busiest and most congested court in the whole of Braehead and no residents around here have electric cars and even if they did, they couldn’t park it here.
“I know that we need charging points but there has been no willingness to compromise on the number of spaces and it’s going to have a domino effect because people are already struggling to park.”
John Henderson is another Almond Court resident who has been left looking for answers over the plans.
He said: “A letter or leaflet to the residents would have been better and I only found out because Marion walked out her back garden and was told about it.
“I’ve been taking photos at night when nobody is about because you don’t get a true reflection of the issues in the daytime and it is pandemonium at weekends as well.
“There are people double parking on the pavement so it’s about finding a solution to the situation in the court.
“It’s not about stopping the charging point going in, it’s more about what they can do to help us.”
After being raised at a recent meeting of the local community council, Stirling East Councillor Gerry McLaughlan has taken up the issue – with a meeting organised with residents last week to discuss the charging point.
Cllr McLaughlan said: “There has been a breakdown in communication with the residents here.
“I understand that the demand for charging points for electric vehicles is growing and that must be met to allow the growth in this environmental form of transport.
“However, we must take people with us and ensure that local people are consulted when new charging stations are being installed.
“I understand that for this project, it is too late to stop as the onside work has commenced.
“The meeting I have organised with the project manager onsite is to see if there is any mitigation that can be carried out and, in addition, to seek reassurance that in future every effort will be made to ensure residents are consulted.”
A Stirling Council spokesperson said: “Electric vehicle charging facilities were installed in this area following a high volume of requests from residents in Braehead over a number of years who had no facilities for home charging in the area. This was deemed a priority in line with Stirling Council’s Net Zero commitments.
“We consulted with the local community council in accordance with our statutory duties and published a Traffic Order in the local media relating to the project. No objections to the installation
were received.
“We acknowledge there is a balance to be struck between converting parking spaces to charging spaces with the rapid growth in electric vehicle ownership in Stirling, and we will continue to engage with communities on any concerns they have.”
