A petition signed by over 500 people protesting against how EV infrastructure has been introduced in Knaresborough was debated by councillors at at a meeting of the Harrogate & Knaresborough area constituency committee in Harrogate today.

Ten of the 56 regular parking bays in the town centre Chapel Street car park were turned into electric vehicle-only spaces with charge points at the end of 2022 by Harrogate Borough Council.

A further 12 spaces were given over to EVs in Conyngham Hall’s car park on the outskirts of the town centre but the charge points there have not yet been switched on.

However, at Chapel Street there have been reports of the spaces reserved for EVs laying empty, which has caused consternation to traders particularly on market days.

A statement was read out to councillors on behalf of hairdresser Kelly Teggin who launched the petition. Ms Teggin said: “Like any market town there’s a recognition of the need for transition and charging points are attractive to residents and tourists if introduced at the right time and place.

“However, in this case, implementation of changing points at Chapel Street car park and at Conyngham Hall have been badly-handled in terms of consultation and choices made. They’ve caused significant negative impact on traders in the town centre, attractiveness to visitors and increased congestion.”

A report prepared by officers ahead of the meeting said that at Chapel Street just five vehicles a day are using the spaces with a charge.

But the council forecasts that after five years this will have increased to 22 cars a day and by year eight it will be 30 cars.

Legislation states that dedicated EV bays require a traffic regulation order (TRO) to restrict access to EVs only, which according to report the spaces at Chapel Street do not have.

Liberal Democrat councillor for Knaresborough West, Matt Walker, who supports the petition, said any non-EV motorist who had received a ticket for parking in the reserved spaces should contact him as he would be “happy to defend and get those revoked”.

Green Party councillor for Ouseburn and EV driver, Arnold Warneken, said he was “shocked and surprised” that the council decided to put the spaces in Chapel Street, which is one of the town’s busiest car parks.

But he warned against an increasingly hostile movement against EVs on social media. He added: “I’m totally behind having EV charging points. There’s an anxiety that infrastructure is not in place for people that drive EVs but there’s a movement out there that’s anti-EV”.

Conservative councillor for Bilton & Nidd Gorge, Paul Haslam, said there is a “lack of understanding” about EVs but he hopes North Yorkshire Council uses the changes in Knaresborough as a “learning opportunity on how we can do it better next time”.

Cllr Walker proposed a motion with nine different points, including a call for a full review into parking in Knaresborough and an assertion that the EV infrastructure had been implented poorly in the town. It passed by six votes to four.

Knaresborough: Business owner claims EV charging points in car park are causing 'significant harm' to Yorkshire town