"Service station for the A1" fears voiced over plan for electric vehicle charging points near Biggleswade town centre

Plans for electric vehicle charging points in Biggleswade should avoid turning the town centre into “a service station for the A1”, a meeting heard.

A proposed investment of about £100,000 would provide two 50kW units for Biggleswade occupying four spaces in the Mill Lane car park, according to a report to the town council.

Town councillors wanted Central Bedfordshire Council’s approved supplier bp pulse to consider generating a profit share agreement on the installed infrastructure, said the report.

But bp pulse ruled out “side arrangements with town councils or entering separate commercial talks on matters such as profit share”.

“This is because the supplier has entered a contract with CBC and the company is making a significant investment in scale and capital,” added the report.

BTC’s head of governance and strategic partnerships Karim Hosseini said: “This is a significant project CBC and its partner are rolling out to the whole area.

“The development would start early in 2024/25 with a three-week installation plan inside the Mill Lane car park area.

“If members were to decline the report’s recommendation, the council would have to wait potentially another calendar year before any EV points arrive in Biggleswade.”

Town councillor Andrew Skilton said: “It’s inappropriate to have rapid chargers anywhere near the town centre. We don’t want this area to become a service station for the A1.

“If we want rapid chargers, they need to be nearer the retail park or Sainsbury’s.”

Town councillor Jonathan Woodhead explained: “It’s clear from the use of those already in the town EV charging points aren’t needed quite as urgently as CBC implies.

“Mill Lane is a particularly bad spot. It’s one of our smallest car parks and is heavily used. It’s also the nearest to Franklin recreation ground.

“There’s not a financial incentive for the town council either. Clearly CBC is making money out of this, but there’s no trickle down to us.

“Officers should conduct a procurement process to identify any other suppliers with the aim of ensuring the price of energy to charge vehicles on BTC land is potentially capped.”

Town councillor Michael North agreed about Mill Lane being “well used and completely the wrong place”, saying: “We raised questions about the location at a meeting in January and mentioned alternatives, including the Dan Albone car park, which don’t appear in this report.

“We shouldn’t be expected to give up part of our car parks to help CBC save money. We need a convincing explanation about why Mill Lane is preferred, rather than somewhere near the retail park.”

Mr Hosseini replied: “Essentially it’s a land matter. The freeholds are held by other parties not ourselves on those other locations, which would add extra layers of complication for the project.”

Town councillor Duncan Strachan added: “Dan Albone is unsuitable as it’s a leasehold car park and would cause considerable problems in the future if the charging points were there.”

Councillors agreed a recommendation that the focus should be on residential charging points, not rapid chargers.