St James | Expanding Cheltenham’s Charging Network

The Opportunity

Expanding EV charging infrastructure across Cheltenham

Following the delivery of Bath Terrace, St James is the next site delivered as part of EVN’s first Local Authority portfolio win with Cheltenham Borough Council.

St James stood out as a strong location within the portfolio. The busy, high-footfall car park is within easy walking distance of the main high street, providing convenient charging for residents, visitors and commercial drivers.

The site complements Bath Terrace. While Bath Terrace serves the southern side of the town centre, St James provides a more central location, capturing journeys from the northern side of the local road network.

EVN initially offered the sites to several Charge Point Operator (CPO) individually. Recognising the opportunity to build a stronger charging network across Cheltenham, Duracell E-Charge (CPO), chose to progress both Bath Terrace and St James.

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Pre-Construction

Integrating EV infrastructure within an established car park

For Paul Hicks, Pre-Construction Director at EVN, integrating the required charging infrastructure while maintaining the existing operation and layout of the car park was a key consideration during the design stage.

The site had several areas of ownership. EVN therefore planned the installation within a clearly defined area with no title restrictions.

The surrounding environment also influenced the design. Residential properties, school grounds and retail occupiers are located around the perimeter of the car park. The team therefore had to consider each neighbouring use when positioning the substation to meet the relevant regulations.

The car park boundary had no available space for charging equipment at the head of the bays and so EVN positioned the chargers between parking spaces.

With the charging equipment located within the car park, the layout required careful consideration of both existing parking capacity and the new EV provision. The final design delivered 10 charging bays, including one accessible bay, while working within the existing footprint of the site.

The final layout was designed to work with the existing flow of the car park, keeping it familiar and easy to navigate for local users.

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The Solution

A charging mix designed for different dwell times

The completed St James site provides 10 EV charging bays, combining rapid and ultra-rapid charging to support different types of visit.

• 3 × HYC 300kW chargers serve six ultra-rapid charging bays, supporting drivers looking for a quick stop before continuing their journey.
• 2 × HYC 50kW chargers serve a further four rapid charging bays for drivers parking for longer while using the town centre and local facilities.

The rapid and ultra-rapid chargers are grouped separately, with the layout designed around different driver dwell times.

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Project Delivery

Navigating site constraints through construction

For James Naish, Project Manager at EVN, maintaining the operation of the busy public car park was an important consideration throughout construction.

A third-party strip of land within the car park meant the HV supply cable could not follow the most direct route. EVN therefore engineered the cable route around the third-party land.

Keeping the construction compound as small as possible was also important, helping retain as many usable parking spaces as possible and minimise disruption to the public.

The restricted working area created challenges when delivering and positioning equipment. Experienced contractors managed the delivery and positioning of equipment in line with the relevant regulations. EVN coordinated the wider project delivery.

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Did You Know?

Cheltenham is working towards becoming a net-zero borough by 2030, with the transition to lower-carbon transport forming part of the borough’s wider climate ambitions.

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Partnership

The delivery of St James builds on the relationship between EVN, Duracell E-Charge and Cheltenham Borough Council, supporting the wider expansion of public EV charging infrastructure across the town.

Spokesperson, Duracell E-Charge:

“We’re really pleased with St James and the early signs have been very positive. Together with Bath Terrace, it gives us two strong locations in the heart of Cheltenham and is another important step in growing the Duracell E-Charge network. It’s been great working with EVN to bring both sites forward, and we’re excited to see St James now up and running.”

Cllr Richard Pineger, Councillor for St Marks, Cheltenham and Cabinet member for the Climate Emergency:

“Most of us will be driving electric vehicles in the years ahead, so it’s important that we have a range of ways to charge them wherever we are. This new hub, delivered at no cost to the taxpayer, provides ultra-rapid charging for people who need to get back on the road quickly.

These chargers are especially useful for visitors to Cheltenham, helping to attract people into our town centre, shops and cafés while they charge, which is good news for the high street. For residents who can’t charge at home, we’re also making lower-cost charging options available for everyday use, which should give you the confidence to make the switch when the time is right for you.”

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Commissioning and Handover

From final testing to handover

Commissioning marked the final stage of delivery at St James. Bringing the site into operation required multiple systems to communicate and work together, with testing and integration coordinated throughout the process.

Following successful commissioning, EVN handed the completed site over to Duracell E-Charge for operation.

With St James now operational, the site forms an important part of Duracell E-Charge’s growing presence across Cheltenham.

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Planning your next EV charging project?

Whether you’re a local authority, landowner or strategic partner, speak to our experts to find out how EVN can take your project from site assessment and pre-construction through to delivery and handover.