Council’s property firm gives electric car charging boost for village

Residents and visitors to a picturesque village that is a prime destination for tourists will receive an environmentally-friendly boost through an initiative by Brierley Homes.

The property development company, established by North Yorkshire County Council, is building a number of properties in Swainby, near Stokesley, as part of its Whorlton Meadows scheme.

Including a mix of two, three and four-bedroom homes, the development is located is on the site of the former Swainby and Potto Primary School.

As part of the drive towards tackling climate change, each of the new properties features a wall-mounted electric vehicle charger.

In addition to this, a new community car park is being built as part of Brierley Homes’ commitment to building a positive relationship with the communities which housing schemes are located in.

The car park will be able to accommodate 10 vehicles, with four of the parking spaces having access to electric vehicle charging points.

The move is in sync with the council’s pledge to encourage a greener transport network for the county, providing greater access to charging points in rural areas.

It is hoped that better infrastructure could increase the uptake of electric vehicles and reduce carbon emissions by supporting all motorists to make the switch.

Brierley Homes’ operations manager, Stuart Ede, said: “The chargers will be conveniently located within the car park to allow easy access for visitors.

“This will encourage greener travel within Swainby and provide improved facilities for EV owners to encourage more sustainable travel.”

The chair of Swainby and Whorlton Parish Council, Dolly Hannon, added: “The parish council had been actively searching for a site in the village with public access to install electric car chargers.

“Most residents on Swainby High Street and on Church Lane do not have off-street parking and consequently are not able to install domestic electric chargers. As trailing leads across a pavement is not an acceptable alternative, these residents are effectively prohibited from purchasing an electric vehicle.

“Councillors were therefore delighted when the plans for redevelopment of the school site were able to accommodate our request for a public car park on the site, and even more delighted when Brierley Homes offered to install the EV chargers there for us.

“The chargers will provide residents with the viable option to purchase an electric vehicle when they next change their car.”

Cllr Hannon said Swainby was a gateway to the North York Moors and attracts many visitors who arrive by car.

“Having public EV chargers will be a considerable additional asset to the village when tourists find that they can charge their electric cars whilst they go off for a few hours to hike or cycle on the Moors,” Cllr Hannon said.

“Having access to EV chargers in a rural location such as this will only encourage more people to seriously consider electric as a real alternative to the petrol car in future.”

For more on Brierley Homes and its housing schemes across North Yorkshire visit https://brierleyhomes.co.uk/