By Geoff Fisher 
Your correspondent’s objections to the new Station Road electric vehicle chargers (Empty EV bays, full car park – a net zero own goal, 26 March 2026) would be more persuasive if they weren’t contradicted by the evidence published on the Reepham Life website.
The photograph accompanying the original news item (Green travel boosted with new EV charging points, 20 March 2026) shows an EV actively charging. So much for the claim that no one uses them.
The complaint about “losing” six parking spaces (looks more like five) also misses the mark. Those bays haven’t disappeared; they’ve been allocated to a growing category of vehicle.
Car parks have always evolved – for disabled access, parent‑and‑child bays, recycling points, safety upgrades – and EV charging is simply the next logical step. Modern infrastructure adapts to changing needs rather than freezing itself in a bygone era.
Public charging costs more than home charging, just as motorway fuel costs more than supermarket petrol. That’s not a flaw; it’s the nature of convenience‑based infrastructure.
And the idea that taxpayer‑funded transport improvements are some new imposition ignores the obvious: every road, bridge, streetlight and drainage system we rely on was paid for in exactly the same way.
What your correspondent also overlooks is the long‑term benefit of supporting EVs, which reduce local air pollution, cut noise, lower maintenance costs for drivers and help shield households from the volatility of global oil markets.
As the grid decarbonises, their environmental advantage only grows. Installing chargers now is how communities ensure they are ready for the next decade rather than scrambling to catch up with it.
Finally, the suggestion that councils should seek a referendum before installing a handful of charging points is unrealistic. Representative democracy entrusts elected bodies to plan for the future, not to poll the public on every lamp post and litter bin.
In short, the new chargers are a modest, sensible investment – and the published photo proves they are already doing precisely what they were installed to do.
G. Gerrard, Bawdeswell
Image: Reepham Community Press