More EV Charging Points Approved at Fuel Station

Shepherd's Hill, at the Woodley-Earley meeting point on the A4, is set to get more electric vehicle charging points.

The junction links Pitts Lane in Earley with Reading Road in Woodley and is home to the Shepherds House pub, Majestic Wine, Wenzels Bakery and a Marks & Spencer Food Hall.

There is also a BP fuel station with a sales area run by Marks & Spencer, officially known as the Sonning Cutting Filling Station.

Earlier this summer Chargemaster Ltd applied to install three electric vehicle (EV) chargers to serve six parking spaces, with supporting infrastructure on site.

The project would remove an automatic car wash but add EV charging capacity and two jet car wash bays.

A Wokingham Borough Council planning officer judged the project acceptable and wrote:

"Whilst the proposed jet wash bays have the potential
to generate some noise, the site has an established commercial use and has previously accommodated car wash operations.

"As such, no significant change in the character of the site is anticipated.

"Given the size and location of the proposed development within the existing filling station, the established commercial use of the site, and the considerable separation distances to residential dwellings, it is considered unlikely that the proposal would result in a harmful impact on neighbouring amenity through noise or disturbance."

The plan was approved on July 28.

You can view the application by typing reference 260798 into the council's planning portal.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter