As part of Milton Keynes Council’s commitment to a carbon negative future, it has been working with Connected Kerb and Ringway to secure the largest grant offered to date from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV).
Going forward, electric vehicle (EV) charging points will be installed on streets in older residential areas of Milton Keynes after the council secured a £1.1m grant.
The grant will be used to install 250 charging points on residential roads in older areas of Milton Keynes, where there are fewer off-street parking options, but where EV ownership is on the rise.
“We’re delighted to have secured funding to make it easier for local people to use electric vehicles,” said Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Sustainability, Cllr Jenny Wilson-Marklew.
At present, roughly 40% of homes in Milton Keynes do not currently have access to off street charging facilities.
“Encouraging drivers to make the switch to electric is a vital part of our carbon neutral future. It needs to be made as easy as possible and we look forward to working with all of our partners to begin this ground-breaking project,” Wilson-Marklew added.
Senior officials from OZEV will be visiting Milton Keynes to discuss the programme.
“I am delighted that Milton Keynes Council, who are a recognised pioneer in the EV sector, selected Connected Kerb for this critical EV infrastructure project, which aims to boost EV uptake in Milton Keynes by improving access to charge points for residents without off-street parking,” said Chris Pateman-Jones, CEO, Connected Kerb.
“Making charging more affordable, sustainable and accessible to all is an essential step if the city and the wider UK is to reach net zero.”
Ringway Innovation Director Yogesh Patel also added: “We are excited by the potential of this project to shape new travel choices for local people. Our teams already work hard to maintain the highway network in Milton Keynes and we are looking forward to using this local knowledge to create greener transport options for residents.
“This project, especially the funding already secured, is a big step forward to future-proof the local highway network, and we cannot wait to get started.”