Call for Ealing to Allow Cross Pavement EV Charging

Proponents says 50% of borough households have no off-street parking

13 local authorities allow cross-charging with appropriate safety measures

April 26, 2024

There are an increasing number of calls for Ealing Council to reconsider its prohibition on allowing Electric Vehicle owners to charge their cars across pavements in front of their homes.

West Ealing resident Joe Stean has started a petition on the issue pointing out that over 50% of households in the borough do not have access to off-street parking.

Many other local authorities have allowed for cross-charging if the motorists takes steps to protect pedestrian safety including using a brass-curb for the cable. There are 13 areas where this is allowed including Surrey, West Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Reading. Cross-curb solutions are actively encouraged by the national government with a £350 subsidy.

With all new cars set to be EVs by 2035, the issue is likely to become more acute.

There is also a cost issue with some chargers run by private companies being significantly more expensive than home charging. In Ealing three private firms have been given exclusive rights to provide on-street charging facilities.

Mr Stean has got support from local MP Rupa Huq who asked the new Energy Security and Net Zero minister in the House of Commons on 17 April how he can help cheaper charging for electric car owning constituents not in detached houses. The minister said he recognised the problem but didn’t provide any information about any future policy options.

The opposition Liberal Democrats have been lobbying for a change in policy for some time. Their leader Councillor Gary Malcolm said, "The Liberal Democrats want to see Ealing Council allow more residents who are still waiting for suitably priced charging points near their homes to have the option to charge their electric vehicles in a way that is easier for them. Ealing Council appears to keep delaying when other Council have introduced similar schemes. Liberal Democrats have listened to resident and want to see Ealing take action now."

A council spokesperson said, “We’ve ensured there are now around a thousand public electric vehicle charging points across Ealing, but we recognise some residents would like to install a gully across the pavement to charge using their own electricity.

“However, there are still a number of questions such as whether the resident would have a right to use this parking space over other drivers and the possibility of this causing disputes with neighbours.

“We would also want to understand who would be responsible for the maintenance of the pavement, who would pay the insurance if someone tripped on the gully and what would happen if water mains or other utilities were damaged.

“Pilots are taking place in some areas, and we are looking at the findings from these while we consider whether this would work for Ealing, where parking is at a premium. But for now, we are prioritising rolling out the 2,500 public charging points we promised so that no resident is more than a 5-minute walk away from their nearest public charger.”

If you want to sign Mr Stean's petition click here.