U-turn on plans for three EV charge points in Walsall after 72 households sign petition

The move comes after 72 households signed a petition against the charging bays on Pargeter Street and Raleigh Street. 

The three sites were initially chosen by Walsall Council to help eliminate obstacles to electric vehicle ownership for residents without access to off-street parking, a group that makes up over a third of the borough’s population.

But Birchills resident Shokt Fazal, who launched the petition, believed that the proposed locations for the charge points would exacerbate the lack of parking already facing residents in the area. 

Shokt, vice chair of Birchills Agenda 21, said car insurance for drivers living in the area is much higher than others because of the high levels of crime, including a stabbing and shooting last year, plus a machete attack in 2022. He said insurance for electric vehicle drivers is ‘through the roof’. 

Before introducing any new parking restrictions on a highway, the council has to undergo a statutory Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process. It includes a consultation with affected households before the council makes a formal decision on any changes. 

Walsall Council reviewed the objections during the consultation period and decided to withdraw the proposed charge points on Pargeter Street and Raleigh Street. 

Responding to the news, Shokt said: “It’s always important that residents and council engage and abide by the democratic consultation process. A big thank you to officers for engaging and reviewing the proposals after counter objections. The community is very happy with the outcome.”

A spokesperson from the council said: “Walsall Council received grant funding from central government ringfenced to spend on the installation of EV charge points across the borough. 

“The aim of this funding is to remove barriers to residents owning electric vehicles who do not have access to off-street parking and to provide greater equity of access to affordable charging.

“The council has a statutory Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process that it is required to follow before introducing any new parking restrictions on the highway. This necessary TRO process was completed including a public notice of the proposals being published in the Express & Star newspaper, letters sent to directly affected households and notices placed on-street to inform the wider community. In addition, the council’s transportation team undertook informal consultation back in 2022.

“Following review of the responses to the recent TRO public notice, the decision has been made to not install EV charge points on Pargeter Street and Raleigh Street at this time. As EV ownership increases and demand for EV charge points increases in coming years, this decision may be reviewed.”

Walsall Council plans to install 665 EV charging sockets across the borough before 2030. It hopes to deliver the first 280 EV charging points before 2026. Of these, 250 will be on-street units, 20 will be installed on some of the council’s 17 car parks and 10 will be located across other council facilities such as leisure centres, libraries and community centres.