A KNUTSFORD garden centre wants to install 10 electric vehicle charging hubs which could be used by members of the public as well as the business.

Fryer’s Garden Centre has applied to Cheshire East Council for permission to install 10 EV parking bays with dual chargers and associated infrastructure on an existing car park at its Manchester Road premises.

A design and access statement submitted by DPP Planning on behalf of the applicant, states: “The proposal will provide ultra-rapid EV charging facilities for both customers at Fryer’s Garden Centre as well as to the general public, thereby improving the wider public’s access to such service.”

An application for the installation of ultra-rapid charging hubs at the site was approved by Cheshire East in December 2022 but since the granting of that permission the applicant identified a need to relocate the sub-station – hence this latest application.

The proposal comes just months after Cheshire East identified there was a serious shortage of EV chargers in the borough.

A report to the highways and transport committee last July revealed, at that time, there were just 153 publicly available charging points in Cheshire East.

It was forecast that 300 would be needed by 2025 and about 1,300 by 2030 to serve the growing number of electric vehicles.

The planning application, number 23/4765M, can be viewed on the planning portal on Cheshire East Council’s website.

The application is due to be determined by a planning officer under delegated authority and the last date for submitting comments is February 1, 2024.