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NEWS Estates Gazette: Charging hubs provide a real opportunity for landowners to develop disused plots into profitable schemes

‘Charging hubs provide a real opportunity for landowners to develop disused plots into profitable schemes’
Bruce Galliford Chief executive, RAW Charging

Across the UK, there are plots of land that are currently not being used to their full potential, with landowners not realising their value. These pieces of land come in all shapes and sizes – you might find them on a corner of a busy road in a town centre, or on the outskirts of a major city. They may seem worthless, some even becoming derelict due to the lack of potential seen for these plots. But these disused, seemingly worthless plots of land will be the driving force behind the electric vehicle transition.

These sites can be turned into EV charging hubs, providing rapid charging to local communities and fast charging to overnight residents who don’t have access to a home charger. Experienced EV infrastructure developers often have the ability to achieve planning and legal agreements where others can’t.

Multiple benefits
The UK is in a transition to a more sustainable future, helping meet its climate goals. Naturally, there is a large focus on EVs. It is estimated there will be 18m EVs in the UK by 2030, but the infrastructure needed to charge them is just as important.

Currently in the UK, there are not enough EV chargers to meet the growing demand, as many EV owners do not have a driveway or must compete for on-street charging. Charging hubs are often the solution to the lack of chargers, providing all owners access to charge quickly and easily. The development of EV infrastructure will only continue to grow in the UK as more drivers switch to EVs, with the government pledging to invest £1bn to boost the roll-out of the charging network.

The UK is looking to the future, rapidly developing and investing in EV infrastructure, quickly making petrol stations an archaic reminder of the past, providing a stark reminder of the rapidly ticking lifespan of petrol and diesel vehicles that will be banned in eight years’ time. Why build new petrol stations which will have such a short lifespan when you can build an EV charging hub that will power the vehicles of the future?

Charging hubs are popping up all over the country, providing an opportunity for landowners to develop disused plots into profitable schemes. There are multiple benefits to developing charging hubs.

Firstly, each piece of land converted is a step forward for the EV industry, helping to provide the infrastructure needed to keep up with growing demand. Secondly, it provides landowners with a profitable solution to using disused land. Finally, the local community can benefit from EV charging hubs, providing charging for all drivers, including those who do not have the option to charge at home.

No plan, no problem

RAW Charging, a provider of EV charging solutions, is building one of the UK’s largest networks of chargers, focused exclusively on destination charging and charging hubs. We recognise the importance of landowners and the role they will play in the transition to adopting EVs, and believe in repurposing old plots of land to benefit the environment, landowner, and entire EV sector.

Unlike a fuel station, an EV charging hub can be as small as a couple of parking spaces. In many cases we use sites that failed in planning for larger schemes, making it a truly unique opportunity for landowners to profit from disused land.

This approach has transformed multiple sites across Europe, many of which previously seemed undevelopable. Transforming otherwise-redundant pieces of land into charging hubs benefits the landowner, EV drivers and the sector as a whole.

There is a big role for landowners to play going forward in the transition to EVs, with demand for charging hubs only increasing as we approach 2030.

This is an opportunity to generate revenue from disused land and be part of a sector that is growing year-on-year and to help the UK in its transition to a greener economy.

Contact our team today to discuss developing a Charge Yard at your location here