Bollington Powers up the Switch to Greener Transport

Bollington Town Council has announced ambitious plans to install six electric vehicle charging points at Pool Bank car park, supporting residents with their switch to zero emission vehicles.

The electric vehicle charging points will be installed in March and are the result of a joint initiative between the Town Council and the action group Mad About Power, part of residents' group Transition Bollington.

Bollington Town Mayor Councillor John Stewart said:

“Bollington Town Council and Transition Bollington are working together to make our town a greener, cleaner and more sustainable place to live. This new project to install six electric vehicle charging points is one of the ways we are aiming to reduce carbon emissions by encouraging Bollington residents without access to off street parking, to switch to electric vehicles.”

“The project includes the transfer of a redundant recycling bay on Pool Bank car park from Cheshire East Council to Bollington Town Council. This will allow our chosen supplier, Connected Kerb, to install six additional electric vehicle parking bays, making use of a power connection from an automated toilet that was removed two years ago.”

“The project has excellent green credentials from start to finish, including the electricity being generated from sustainable sources. This initiative also supports Cheshire East Council’s Environment Strategy which aims to provide and promote such charging points across the Borough.”

Ruth Tams from Transition Bollington’s Mad About Power action group said:

“We welcome this commitment from Bollington Town Council. Supporting people to switch from fossil-fuel powered vehicles to electric vehicles is critical if we are to reduce climate-wrecking emissions from transport and tackle the air pollution crisis that is undermining our communities’ health.” 

“People told us a lack of suitable charging points was one of the main things stopping them switching to an electric vehicle in our recent transport survey. With so much terraced housing in Bollington, installing a home charging point is simply not an option for many residents. We hope this commitment will give people confidence to make the switch to an electric car.”

“We now need to see Cheshire East Council extending the introduction of EV Charging points throughout the borough. But we mustn’t forget that further action - like reinstating Sunday and evening bus services and improving cycling infrastructure - also urgently needs to be taken by Cheshire East Council to support more sustainable travel.”

Contact for further information:

Bollington Town Council, David Naylor: clerk@bollington-tc.gov.uk, 01625 572985
Transition Bollington/ Mad About Power: maptransitionbollington@gmail.com, 07751 075 291

·       Six charging points will be installed in Pool Bank Car Park by Connected Kerb and will use energy from renewable sources. Residents will pay to charge their cars.

·       The project is part funded by a grant from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), which covers 75% of the cost of the work. Bollington Town Council is funding the rest of the project.

·       The Government recently declared that from 2030 new cars sold will be exclusively electric vehicles. It is estimated that Bollington will need at least 100 on street charge points, including kerbside points, by 2030 to meet the demand from residents who have nowhere to install their own charge point.

·       Mad About Power released a Bollington Transport Survey Report in October 2020 outlining the changes that Bollington residents and workers want to see so that they can make different choices about the way they travel.

·       Transition Bollington was formed in 2017 and aims to support the journey of our community to a more sustainable and resilient future. The group brings together Bollington residents to drive grass roots community projects that promote sustainability and resilience in our community and local economy. Mad About Power is an action group of Transition Bollington which focuses on reducing the carbon footprint of all types of power. The group researches, advises, resources and educates society about methods of reducing their carbon footprint in relation to transport and energy use.