SEVEN new electric car charging hubs are set to be installed across the North-East.

New clusters of electric vehicle (EV) chargers will be introduced at locations in Newcastle, Gateshead, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland, and County Durham under a £600,000 investment boost.

The proposed sites are: the West Denton Leisure Centre in Newcastle; Church Street in Gateshead town centre; the Northumberland Business Park in Cramlington; Tynemouth Pool car park; the Dunes Entertainment Centre in South Shields; St Mary’s Multi Storey Car Park in Sunderland; and Middleton-In-Teesdale.

Members of the North East Joint Transport Committee (JTC) are due to sign off on the plans on Tuesday, with transport bosses expecting to “swiftly progress to procurement and deploy the EV charging infrastructure”.

It is expected that all of the sites will have the new charging hubs installed by the end of this summer.

Gateshead Council leader Martin Gannon, chair of the JTC, said: “A key part of the region’s Transport Plan is boosting electric vehicle usage across the North-East. This is the starting point for our programme of investment in electric vehicle charging across the area.  

“This welcome grant from the Local Growth Fund will enable us to deliver seven new charging clusters across the region, providing affordable and convenient charging facilities for thousands of people.

“We know we need to tackle air-pollution and to do that we must strengthen use of cleaner and greener vehicles in the North-East. Of course we want people to make good use of our public transport network and walking and cycling, but when that’s not possible electric vehicles offer a low-carbon and cost-effective way to travel.”

This week, local councils revealed a £7 billion vision to transform the region’s road, rail, bus, cycling, and walking infrastructure by 2035.

Funding for the electric vehicle project comes from a £600,000 grant from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), £100,000 of which has already been used on a study setting out locations across the region that are suitable for EV upgrades.

A further strategy is expected to be published this year setting out plans to further expand EV charging points and to increase the number of plug-in vehicles licensed across the North-East.

Helen Golightly, chief executive of the North East LEP, said: “Government’s announcement banning the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2030 has created significant opportunities for North East industry and our economy.

“We are already recognised as one of leading destinations in the country for advancements in electric vehicles, and recent announcements like Britishvolt’s new Electric car battery plant in Blyth demonstrates the growth potential for the sector.

“The £600k investment from the Local Growth Fund to identify and create seven new electric vehicle charging points across the North East LEP area is a further sign of our commitment to grow the EV sector in the North East, build back greener from the coronavirus pandemic, and support government’s green industrial revolution.”