Council
28 April, 2023
Bank Street preferred charging site
PORT Fairy’s Bank Street has been selected as the preferred location for a public access electric vehicle fast charging station under an agreement with Evie Networks.
Councillors agreed to entering a commercial arrangement with Evie at Wednesday’s Ordinary Meeting of Council.
Evie will operate and maintain the charging point which will be placed on council-managed land, near Fisherman’s Walk in Bank Street.
Moyne Shire mayor Karen Foster said the Bank Street location “made sense”. “It’s right near the Visitor Information Centre and is right in the heart of town within walking distance to shops, cafes and restaurants,” she said.
“More and more people visiting Port Fairy are arriving in electric vehicles; if we want to remain a key destination for tourists, we need to ensure people in EVs have access to public charging points.
“This is a fantastic result which will mean publicly accessible EV infrastructure in Port Fairy at minimal costs to ratepayers and fulfils one of council’s 10 Climate Emergency Declaration priority actions.”
Cr Foster said council would explore similar partnerships for other locations around the shire.
“We know that the numbers of EVs on our roads is increasing, making up 3.8 per cent of all new car sales in Australia in 2022, up 94 per cent on the previous year,” she said.
“If we want people to continue to visit our region, we need to be providing this infrastructure and partnerships with private industry like this are the perfect way to meet that growing demand.”
Under the proposed agreement, Evie Networks will be required to undertake community and stakeholder consultation prior to construction, with support provided by council.
