One of the biggest supermarkets in Reading is set to have electric car charging points for drivers while they shop.
Morrisons in Basingstoke Road, Whitley, is due to get electric vehicle (EV) charging and new car serving facilities.
The Motor Fuel Group (MFG) has applied to convert existing parking spaces into eight electric charging bays opposite the fuel station.
This involves installing four new chargers with canopies to protect them from rain.
MFG has also applied to install five new jet wash bays, two air, water and vacuum unit bays, an ancillary plant room, and associated works.
These changes would lead to the loss of 44 parking spaces and provide air and vacuuming facilities within the main car park rather than the fuel station.
Rationalising the project, a planning agent from Carney Sweeney argued the installations would help meet the government’s goal of installing a minimum of 300,000 EV charging points by 2030.
The agent wrote: “At present, it is understood that the uneven spread of EV
charging facilities significantly hinders the take-up of electric vehicles, due to potential servicing constraints.
“En-route charging for longer journeys is deemed crucial to support the switch to EV and reduce concerns about charge ‘range anxiety’.
“MFG’s proposal to install new EV charging points at the Morrisons site should be considered positively in light of the national context and the demand for the necessary infrastructure to support electric vehicle use across the UK.”
A plan for these installations was submitted to Reading Borough Council earlier this month.
You can view the application by typing reference PL/25/0517 into the council’s planning portal.
