A COUNCIL is to progress a scheme to instal electric vehicle chargers in a terraced suburban street despite an objection from a householder.

Councillors have overruled the protest by an opponent of the silent 'green' cars.

Blackburn with Darwen Council's planning and highways committee has authorised the installation of four EV charging bays in Progress Street, Darwen.

It is one of three such schemes proposed for terraced streets the borough.

The others two will see six chargers in Blackburn's Lambeth Street and Pringle Street.

A report to Thursday night's committee meeting overruling the objection and authorising the necessary Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) for the scheme said: "One letter of objection to the proposed TRO was received from a resident who lives

on Progress St., Darwen.

"There have been no other objections received.

"The main points raised in the letter of objection are:

" * there is already limited parking for the residents in the evening and feel people waiting for an EV point to become available will only add to the parking problem;

" * we have a major problem with litter dumping and fly tipping;

" * this littering and dumping will become worse as people will maybe visit the nearby chippy while they wait for their vehicle to charge; and

" * this part of town has seen a steady decline in recent years and this will only push it further down.

"The response is as follows: regarding parking - the EV bays on Progress Street will bring some private council land into the adopted highway turning a space that would fit two horizontally parked cars into four vertical parking bays.

"As regards the objector’s point about people waiting, the EV bays will be relatively low power because they are intended for residents of the immediate area. Coupled with the nearby high-powered chargers in Darwen town centre and Junction 4, the demand for the EV bays would be unlikely to be that high, to cause the need for people to be waiting.

"Following the review of this objection, the Highways Authority will arrange for signage to be put up as part of this construction, warning offenders of the consequences of fly tipping.

"The Highway Authority believes that this type of anti-social behaviour would decrease once EV charging provision is installed, with the fact that the area would be in-use by residents using the charge points.

"It is suggested that the installation of modern EV charging facilities into a residential area would be a positive feature for the people who live nearby.

"The objector openly admitted that he is anti-electric vehicles."