Electric car charging station refused planning permission as locals fear it would become a hotspot for crime, sex work and doggers

• Osprey Charging wanted to build 16 rapid charging points beside A1, Stamford 

An electric charging station will not be built along the side of the A1 in Lincolnshire over fears it would become a hotspot for crime, sex work, and doggers. 

Osprey Charging wanted to build 16 rapid charging points beside the motorway on land south of Tinwell Road, in Stamford. 

But the application sparked an outpouring of objections from locals fearing the unstaffed station would be a magnate for crime and sex workers. 

South Kesteven District Council threw out the plans earlier this month with the decision notice sent this week to Osprey Charging citing the ‘loss of agricultural land as well as harm to the visual amenity of the area’.

It also stated ‘the isolated nature of the site has potential to result in crime and a fear of crime’.

Osprey Charging wanted to install 16 rapid charging points on land beside the A1 in Lincolnshire. The red square above shows the location of the proposed charging station

Ian Johnston, chief executive of Osprey Charging, said that the ultra-rapid chargers would take no longer than 15 minutes to fully power up electric cars

The blueprints on the council’s website attracted a total of 30 objections, while Councillor Richard Cleaver told a planning committee meeting on December 7 it was the most objections he had received from residents during his time serving as a councillor.  

‘I believe the issue is the nature of the site the fact it’s discreetly tucked away, the fact there is a good vehicle access to it… it is close to the A1 and it fuels concerns, understandably from residents, that it will be a magnet for antisocial behaviour, people driving in and doing things they shouldn’t be doing and then driving away again, basically.’   

Vice-chairman of the planning committee Charmaine Morgan raised concerns over the fact it would not be staffed and said she was ‘aware through local knowledge of sexual services being offered on the roadside’. 

‘CCTV cameras, I’m sorry they are remote and they do not provide an immediate presence,’ she said. 

‘What hasn’t also been mentioned is safety. I actually, as a woman, would be really concerned about sitting there stuck for 30 minutes while my car is charging in the evening or the night time 

‘I think i we are doing this then it should be done properly and there should be staffing there – i suspect it’s about profitability that there’s no plan to put staff there.

‘There is also the management of toilets and the potential misuse of toilets as well in a public domain that is not actually directly supervised and you can’t put CCTV cameras in there.’ 

Vice-chairman of the planning committee Charmaine Morgan raised concerns over the fact it would not be staffed and said she was ‘aware through local knowledge of sexual services being offered on the roadside’

One objector feared the ‘dimly lit isolated area, unmanned will be a hotbed for all sorts of crime and wrong doing, I wouldn’t be comfortable with my wife using such a facility’

Stuart Bremner, member of the Tinwell Rd Residents’ group, said locals were mainly concerned about antisocial behaviour, ‘particularly after dark’ with fears of ‘car doors banging, loud music, and undesirable behaviour in an unstaffed toilet block’.    

Colin Medwynter, of Tinwell Road, Stamford, was among those who wrote in objecting to the plans. 

He said: ‘A dimly lit isolated area, unmanned will be a hotbed for all sorts of crime and wrong doing, I wouldn’t be comfortable with my wife using such a facility, would you? 

‘Where you can’t really be seen or heard whilst being attacked or sexually assaulted, it’s ridiculous that they would even consider such a location, purely on the grounds of health and safety.’ 

But Ian Johnston, chief executive of Osprey Charging, said that the ultra-rapid chargers would take no longer than 15 minutes to fully power up electric cars, reported The Times.  

He added: ‘Antisocial behaviour is a nationwide problem whether you are on a greenfield or brownfield location.’

Osprey currently has 800 charging points across the UK and has predicted it will have 1,000 by the end of the year.  

MailOnline has contacted Osprey Charging for comment.  

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