Additional public electric car charging points are to be installed in 23 locations in Dorset, including in Wimborne Minster (Leigh Road car park) and in Ferndown (Pennys Lodge car park).

This expansion to the existing charging network will see a combination of fast (22kW), rapid (50kW) and ultra-fast (150kW) charging units installed across Dorset; the latter allowing users to charge 100 miles in just 10 minutes.

Cllr Ray Bryan, Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said: “In rural counties like Dorset, car ownership is amongst the highest in the country.

“By increasing the provision of electric vehicle charging points, we hope to provide the essential infrastructure needed to encourage more car owners in Dorset to choose electric vehicles over petrol and diesel equivalents.

“Travel is one of the biggest contributors to our county’s carbon footprint, so, as part of our response to the climate and ecological emergency, it’s vital we make the changes needed to help tackle this.”

The new charging points, which are being installed by Joju Charging, are planned for the following car parks:

• Streche Road, Wareham
• West Street, Corfe Castle
• Leigh Road, Wimborne Minster
• Durngate Street, Dorchester
• Bonnets Lane (East), Wareham
• Culverhayes, Sherborne
• Nothe, Weymouth
• Lower Sea Lane, Charmouth
• Yarn Barton, Beaminster
• South Street, Bridport
• Station Road, Sturminster Newton
• Lodmoor, Weymouth
• Purbeck Park, Norden car park, Corfe Castle
• Durlston Country Park, Swanage
• High Street, Cranborne
• Church Lane, Blandford Forum
• Penny’s Lodge, Ferndown
• Rope Walks, Bridport
• Top O’Town short stay, Dorchester
• Swannery, Weymouth
• Old Market Yard, Sherborne
• Fairfield long stay, Dorchester
• Holmbush, Lyme Regis

To view the locations of all Dorset’s charge points, visit www.zap-map.com.

Funding to install and manage the new charge points is coming from a mixture of sources, with 77 per cent of the cost being met by Joju and their funding partners Mer.  The remaining costs are being funded by the council through a mixture of developer funding and the Department of Transport’s On-Street Residential Charging Scheme (ORCS).

Plans to extend Dorset’s charging network further are already taking shape, with the council announcing last month it had successfully secured funding to improve charging infrastructure in more rural parts of the county. This next phase of work is expected to begin in the New Year.