Feedback Request.
Hello,
Is it possible to answer the following questions please?
- How many planning officers do you currently employ?
- How many planning officers did you employ in January 2011?
- What is your planning departments current budget?
- What was your planning departments budget in January 2011?
- What work has your authority undertaken in considering the volume of electric vehicle charging points needed in the district in the next decade?
- How many high streets (as defined by the ONS) are in your district?
Thanks.

1. How many planning officers do you currently employ?
We currently have 21 planning officers who deal with planning application.

2. How many planning officers did you employ in January 2011?
We do not have figures from 2011.

3. What is your planning departments current budget?
The Councils budget is broken down as attached: https://www.wokingham.gov.uk/_resources/assets/attachment/full/0/549423.pdf

Planning application fee income is around £1.3 million per year.

4. What was your planning departments budget in January 2011?
We do not have this information.

5. What work has your authority undertaken in considering the volume of electric vehicle charging points needed in the district in the next decade?
Aiming to support the transition to EVs Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) has incorporated EV charging infrastructure requirements in its planning policy. More specifically, WBC has adopted a phased approach to increase EV charging infrastructure provision over a period between 2019-2030 (Please see Appendix E of the attached document). From 2019 all planning applications with ‘on-plot’ parking space (parking space is within the residential curtilage and may also include a garage and/or car port) require 35% passive EV provision and 5% active. By 2030 this increases to 70% passive and 30% active.

In addition, WBC has installed 17 chargers, with a combination of slow, fast and rapid, mainly located at Park & Ride areas, country parks and leisure centres.
Wokingham Council Offices
Wokingham Council (private)
Toutley Depot
Winnersh Triangle Park & Ride
Mereoak Park & Ride
Carnival pool
California Country Park
Bulmershe Leisure Centre
Bohunt School
Elms Field
Dinton Pastures Country Park

To access all existing charging locations the following website may be useful: https://www.zap-map.com/live/

There are also plans for further chargers to be installed at various new developments within the borough including but not limited to Winnersh and Coppid Beach Park & Ride, Cantley Pavillion and Elms Field.

Currently we do not have an EV strategy in place, however we are working towards it. We have undertaken an EV Overview and Benchmarking and we are developing a Low Carbon Transport Strategy with specific reference to EVs.

Aiming to gauge the EV charging demand throughout the borough and understand the barriers that prevent people from buying EVs the council launched an Electric Vehicle charging public engagement (24/03/2021 – 30/04/2021). The council monitors government grants and apply for funding when available. In particular WBC intends to apply to the On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme for funding from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, therefore the results of the EV survey will help us to plan the next charging locations and demonstrate demand when applying for funding.

Should the applicant be an owner of EV or considering buying an EV and has no access to off-street parking he could provide us his postcode to include it in our consideration. Please note, this is not a guarantee of being able to provide this, but the location will be recorded for planning purposes.

WBC is also in discussions with other Local Authorities regarding sharing experiences and lessons learned with regards to the EV chargepoints rollout.

6. How many high streets (as defined by the ONS) are in your district?
This information is available on the ONS: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/articles/highstreetsingreatbritain/march2020#your-local-high-street-on-the-ordnance-survey-os-map