Council launches probe into developer as homeowners left without vital EV charging points

A PROBE IS underway into whether a major developer breached planning laws over the number of charging points for electric vehicles (EVs) it installed at houses in a brand-new Dublin housing estate.

Unhappy EV drivers in Folkstown Park in Balbriggan, north Co Dublin, have complained that many new homes – which cost some residents up to €480,000 under the government’s Affordable Homes Scheme – did not come with enough infrastructure to charge their cars.

Under legislation introduced in 2022, new housing developments are to include a certain number of charging points as part of the government’s ambition to switch 30% of the country’s private cars to electric by 2030.

People started moving into the latest phase of houses, which comprises 99 homes in total, in Folkstown Park last year.

Enforcement action

Fingal County Council launched an enforcement process in recent weeks.

That’s because the developer, Glenveagh, was to install EV infrastructure of some kind at “all car parking spaces” in the estate, as part of An Coimisiún Pleanála’s stipulations when it granted planning for the latest tranche of houses.

This was broken down by the planning regulator as requiring that a minimum of 20% of all car parking spaces be provided with EV charging stations. At the other parking spots, piping was to be installed so that homeowners could run their own cable from their homes to their own individual spaces.

However, while some homes do have charging stations and other charging capabilities, residents have outlined that many do not.

Fingal County Council confirmed to The Journal that is examining a number of such cases at present.

As the EV requirements are relatively new, planning experts believe the process launched by the local authority probing whether the estate was left short of chargers is worth following to see how councils react to potential breaches.

When The Journal visited the estate this week, we counted around 30 spaces where no EV ducting infrastructure or regular charging point was available.

Some newly built houses did have EV piping installed outside their home, but didn’t appear to have corresponding ducts so that the homeowner could charge their car.

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Others appeared to have no infrastructure at all. However, streets with homes built in other phases appeared to have the full complement of EV infrastructure.

Planning probe

When contacted in recent weeks by The Journal, Glenveagh said it was reviewing the situation and would engage with Fingal County Council on an ongoing basis, as it had throughout the project.

It added that the development is “still under construction with works ongoing, including infrastructure for EV charging”.

Glenveagh is one of the country’s biggest developers, with a turnover of €926 million last year and more than 2,500 homes built.

Fingal County Council said: “The Council’s Planning Enforcement section have issued a warning letter in relation to this matter.

“Investigations remain open and ongoing at present.”

One resident who drives an EV and moved into the estate last year told The Journal that he felt it was wrong that the purchase of the homes were part-funded by taxpayers under the Help to Buy and First Home schemes.

“They should have done this before they were built. We’ll see what Fingal says,” he said, referring to the planning investigation, but added that “if they haven’t built any here then we need to get confirmation that they will be built.”

Local TD for Fingal East Louise O’Reilly said it was important that residents get answers on the charging infrastructure.

“I welcome the fact that Fingal County Council is going to review it. They should keep in contact with the residents and look for solutions to this issue now because these are people with EVs who need to be able to charge their car,” O’Reilly said.

O’Reilly, who has submitted parliamentary questions on the issue, said that if it is the case that the estate is lacking in chargers, then “it runs contrary to everything that the council is about regarding sustainability and climate targets, if they cannot ensure there is correct infrastructure in the estate.”

Figures show that Irish motorists, likely driven by the US war on Iran, are shifting towards EVs; a recent survey by Done Deal found that a quarter of respondents were planning on buying fully electric when making their next car purchase.

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