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Electric Vehicles (EVs) are  becoming more common on Waterside,  and given Oxford’s plans to extend restrictions on internal combustion engine vehicles in pursuit of their Low Emission Zone policy,  many of our residents and owners are thinking about how to install charge points for electric vehicles.

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Unless you are lucky enough to have a garage/driveway,  any solution may create some impact for neighbours, the Management Company and the Council .

 

Waterside Management Company has set up a Special Interest Group to support our residents and owners to install this important infrastructure whilst guarding the streetscape, adhering to council requirements and ensuring safety on Management Company owned land.  As it stands some EV owners are having to trail leads (in suitable trip guards) across paths and that can’t be a long-term solution given the trip hazard liability. 

 

One of the main issues is where there is separation of parking spaces from residences by pathways.  Each area of Waterside has its own layout and its own challenges.  In general terms the estate divides into the following groups:-

 

1. Those who have a garage or parking space next to a house/flat wall. You can easily add a charging point to your property if all cables are on your own property. See installations in Merrivale Square.

 

2. Those who have a nearby parking space separated from their residence by pathways or land owned by the Management Company. E.g. Merton Court, Rutherway. Cable buried under OWMC land - See examples in The Crescent and The Villas. Because of neighbour collaboration, there are shared wooden posts adjacent to parking spaces to reduce estate furniture and cost.

 

3. Those who have a nearby parking space separated from residence by council adopted pathways e.g. Plater Drive (in part)

Cable in open conduit across Oxford Council footpath. 
Oxford City Council have a demonstration gul-e channel at 28 Plater Drive.
https://gul-e.co.uk/.  We are waiting for news on costs and when this scheme will be rolled out.

 

4. Those who do not have their car parking space proximate to their residence.  E.g. Churchill Court, Merrivale Square East.

Civil infrastructure works to bring power to a distribution point in a carparking area have thus far proved to be too expensive as quoted by the monopoly grid works contractor SSE.  It is also quite convoluted because the Management Company would need to take ownership of the supply and recharge this to the resident’s concerned.  Aside from the estimated costs of at least £4000 per household, there will be a VAT issue as the management company will have to charge onto the residents at the 20% rate it will have to pay to the energy supplier and not the 5% domestic rate.    So, this group is now likely to merge with Group 2 and quotes are being sought to cable to car parking spaces from each individual home.  There may need to be a legal review to optimise car parking space locations relative to the cabling works required from each property.

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