Green light for new electric vehicle charging facilities at Sunderland’s Wessington Retail Park

Plans for new electric vehicle charging facilities at a Sunderland retail park have been given the green light by council development bosses.

Sunderland City Council’s planning department has approved an application for Wessington Retail Park, off Castellian Road, in the city’s Castle ward.

The retail park includes four units, including drive-thru restaurants occupied by McDonald’s and KFC, as well as the Pet Superstore and a unit formerly occupied by Wickes.

Plans from applicant Ionity GmbH, submitted earlier this year, aimed to install electric vehicle charging facilities within the retail park’s car park.

This included the installation of 12 electric vehicle charging spaces together with charging posts, power cabinets/LV (low voltage) panels, a substation and lighting.

A planning application noted that the plans would lead to the loss of eight spaces in the retail park’s car park.

Supporting documents submitted to council officials also indicated that the model of chargers would provide fast-charging solutions for customers.

During the planning application process, developers clarified that the “service yard would have no parking bays” and that access to the vehicle charging bays would be “from Castellian Road only”.

After considering the planning application and assessing it against planning policies, Sunderland City Council’s planning department approved it on December 20, 2023.

A council decision report said the proposals would align with planning policies, including a local policy which aims to support the “development of decentralised, renewable and low carbon energy”.

Council planners added that the development would “not conflict with the existing use of the site as a car park for customers of the retail park”.

The council decision report adds: “The charging points and supporting equipment are an appropriate size and scale and are considered the type of development that would normally be visible within a car parking area such as this.

“The substation and LV panels are larger structures; however, these would be located within the service yard to the north and would be screened by the main building and not considered to appear incongruous or visually intrusive given the location.

“The council’s environmental health team have noted that the site is 90 metres from the nearest residential properties and given this and the low level of noise generated by EV chargers, it is considered that the proposal would not have a negative impact on residential amenity”.

Under planning conditions, work must take place on site within three years.

For more on the planning application, visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 23/02172/FUL