Plans unveiled to demolish massive building in busy Northampton retail park and build huge electric car charging site

Plans have been unveiled to demolish a massive vacant building in Northampton town centre and convert it into a huge charging site for electrical cars.

Proposals have been submitted to destroy the Just For Pets building in St Peter’s Way Retail Park, in Commercial Street, and replace it with a new electric vehicle charging hub accommodating a total 22 charging bays and two substations.

The applicant, Metalcraft Developments Limited, says the scheme will help West Northamptonshire Council’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

Planning papers say: “The land in question comprises the former Just for Pets building, which has remained unoccupied for some time and it is clear that the site currently detracts from the visual amenity of the area in its current vacant form.

“The scheme will redevelop an underutilised site which has stood vacant for some time.

"The site is currently accessed from Commercial Street and no changes to the current access arrangements are proposed as part of the current application proposals.

"The [council’s] local plan acknowledges a need to radically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is in response to the council’s declaration of a climate emergency in 2019, and subsequent aim to be carbon neutral by 2030.”

The applicant went on to say that without enough charge points, EV ownership is “not practical”.

Planning papers say: “The UK has committed to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Electric vehicles offer one method of reducing emissions, and in May 2019, the Committee for Climate Change (CCC) suggested that all new vehicles should be electrically propelled by 2035, if not sooner, to achieve the net zero target.

“There are also clear disparities in the geographical distribution of charging devices across the UK, with London and Scotland having the highest level of charging provision per 100,000 population.

"Without enough charge points EV ownership is not practical, with some of the main barriers to electric vehicle ownership being ‘range anxiety’ and the availability of EV charging points.”

Northampton currently has multiple electric vehicle charge points dotted around the town, which can be found at: St. James Park Road, Upper Thrift Street, Ardington Road, Barry Road, Oakwood Road, Semilong Road and Vicarage Road.

Click here to view the plans.

Elsewhere on St Peter’s Way Retail Park, the site’s new owners, Northold Group, recently revealed multiple new shops are planned to open soon.