North Tyneside Council has approved plans put forward by Instavolt and Godwin Developments for Newcastle-upon-Tyne’s largest rapid charging EV hub.
The development will feature 30 rapid charging bays and 24 additional parking spaces. The charging hub will be accessible 24/7 and powered entirely by certified renewable energy.
It will be situated at Holystone Park, south of the Holystone Roundabout, and incorporate a coffee drive-thru and drive-to store, restrooms, cycle parking, ample native landscaping and dedicated pedestrian access.
When built and fully operational, the development will create 16 full and part-time roles alongside additional employed-delivered training and upskilling.
According to Simon Handslip, managing director of commercial development at Godwin Developments, “given the significant lack of rapid EV charging infrastructure in Holystone and the surrounding area, this project will play a vital role in accelerating the transition to sustainable energy transportation in North Tyneside and beyond.”
In a LinkedIn post, CEO of InstaVolt Delvin Lane said the EV charging station owner and operator is “really pleased” to be working with Godwin on the project.
Public EV charging capabilities support EV rollout
The use of EV charging hubs—which EV charge point mapping service Zapmap defines as groups of six or more rapid or ultra-rapid devices—has increased in the last four years, with the number of drivers regularly using hubs reaching 53% this year, up from 47% last year. The growth in hub use reflects the increased availability of the sites: Zapmap figures show that there are currently 486 rapid charging hubs across the UK open to all EVs.
This represents 222 new charging hubs made available since the beginning of this year, added to the 264 hubs Zapmap recorded by the end of 2023. The UK’s public charging network increased by 38% over the last 12 months but despite all of this, charging availability is often cited as a key concern for drivers considering the switch to an EV.
New rules for charge point operators (CPOs) came into effect on 24 November to improve the reliability of public charging, improving customer experience to answer the assertation made by those reluctant to switch to an EV that the charging network is insufficient.
The headline legislation is probably the reliability requirement that CPOs ensure their charge points are available 99% of the time or be subject to penalties. Reliability will be measured through electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) object statuses using the Open Charge Point Interface protocol (OCPI) as the mandated data standard within these regulations. The start of the measuring period was 24 November and first reports are expected in early 2026.