We want to hear your views on our plans for an Electric Forecourt® in Yeovil.
GRIDSERVE Yeovil
GRIDSERVE Sustainable Energy Ltd. plans to build and operate an Electric Forecourt® at Yeovil.
The proposal will provide a new high-quality facility for rapid electric vehicle charging, powered by 100% renewable energy. The proposal will greatly assist the UK’s transition to electric vehicles, reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality. It will also create new jobs and put Yeovil on the map for new green technologies.
We intend to submit a planning application to South Somerset District Council and we are hosting this virtual consultation to explain the proposal. Please provide your thoughts on the proposals via the electronic feedback form.
GRIDSERVE is a UK based developer of low cost, clean energy solutions with roots that started with some of the world’s first commercial deployments of solar energy and energy storage solutions over 40-years ago. The GRIDSERVE team has been responsible for the development, construction, and operation of more than a gigawatt of solar energy and energy storage solutions, including connecting over 100 utility-scale sustainable energy projects to the UK grid in the last five years alone. With this project, we intend to continue our tech-enabled ‘sun to wheel’ infrastructure to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles.
The Site
The site of the proposed Electric Forecourt is located west of the A3088, opposite the Lynx West Trading Estate.
The site is currently greenfield land with the benefit of extant planning permission for a business park. Access into the site will be from a new signalled intersection from the A3088.
An area to the south-east of the main site would be used for battery storage. The site of the proposed Electric Forecourt® is approximately 1.19 acres (0.5ha).
GRIDSERVE has carefully considered the feasibility of an Electric Forecourt® on the site and carried out a detailed site analysis. This analysis has considered environmental and planning designations, proximity to major roads and residential areas, existing screening, topography, the grid connection point, capacity in the local electricity grid and availability of electric vehicle charging facilities in the local area.
An Electric Forecourt® is the new generation of filling station designed to meet the demands of the electric vehicle market. The concept was conceived through extensive research into the limitations and frustrations with existing charging infrastructure and with 32 rapid and high power charging points, it will future-proof Yeovil for the transition to green transport.
View the first GRIDSERVE Electric Forecourt® in Braintree, Essex.
Community Benefits
Yeovil currently has two electric vehicle rapid charging points at one location and a further 16 fast charging points across seven locations, which is insufficient to meet both current and forecasted demand for electric vehicle charging.
The Yeovil Electric Forecourt® will provide 32 new high-speed charging points, making a significant contribution to local electric vehicle infrastructure and also for passing traffic on the M1.
Electric Forecourts® support the transition to electric vehicles and future-proof communities to meet the UK’s net zero carbon goals.
The electric vehicle charging spaces will focus on the fastest vehicle charging capability and charging provision for different vehicle types, including charging provision for contracted fleet vehicles. GRIDSERVE rapid and high-power charging solutions will address the needs of mass market electric vehicle drivers.
The Electric Forecourt® will provide a green and clean development that will align with local and national support for electrifying transportation. It will provide ultra-fast charging for typically 32 vehicles simultaneously, provision that is simply not achievable at the majority of existing petrol station forecourts.
A pedestrian friendly environment, including external walking routes and a covered walkway, connecting between charging spaces and a hub building above the charging points, will be provided. Within the hub building, the forecourt will be supported by a range of ancillary facilities, designed to maximise the experience of charging and optimise the use of the associated dwell time.
“The proposed design has been developed around a number of key principles to ensure environmental harmony and ongoing sustainability objectives are met.”
- Raoul Tuffnell, Chief Development Officer at GRIDSERVE.
The Electric Forecourt® will not be a significant trip generator in itself but will instead be used mainly by cars already on the network. There will therefore be limited impact on local traffic levels.
A Transport Assessment will form part of the planning application.This will determine the impact of the development related trips at local junctions, including the site access from the A3088, the A3088/Lysander Road/Watercombe Lane signalised junction, and the A3088/Bunford Lane signalised roundabout.
Biodiversity and tree planting initiatives are an important consideration in all GRIDSERVE development projects. As such, the site will be supplied by net zero carbon energy from solar farms and achieving net biodiversity gains is a central focus.
Ecological surveys are currently being undertaken to assess the ecological value of the site and deliver these gains. The planning proposal will take these into account and deliver a new landscaping scheme including a living green wall to improve the ecological value of the site.
The site is situated in ‘Flood Zone 1’ which is an area of land with the least probability of flooding. A Flood Risk Assessment and Drainage Strategy will be submitted as part of the planning application, which will provide further details.
Share your views
We encourage you to complete the online feedback forms that are available by following the link below so that we can take into account your views and opinions of the proposed development prior to the submission of the planning application.
The results will be carefully reviewed and a report on how we have taken these into account will be prepared in a Statement of Community Involvement, which will be submitted to the Local Planning Authority.