Diss charging hub developer, James Glerum of The Charge, gives update on plans for Victoria Road site

The chief executive of a development company hoping to bring a £2 million electric vehicle charging hub project to his hometown of Diss has given an update on the situation.

Jamie Glerum, head of The Charge, is looking to build an initial 12 charging points, which could increase to 20, as well as a Costa Coffee and a takeaway drive-through at the eastern end of Victoria Road, next to De Lucy Care Home.

The plans, which would be the flagship site for the Burgate-registered developer, were discussed at a town council planning committee in June and are set to go before South Norfolk Council in the coming weeks for planning permission.

Mr Glerum said: “I really want to be able to create our first hub in my home town.

“After getting the town council behind us, we have been busy finalising our plans. Although we have a number of places we are looking at across the country, this one is special because of my connections to the area.

“We feel we got the support of the town council at last year’s meeting, as they felt it could be a great idea and exactly what Diss needs.”

With plans for the project in the pipeline for a long time, Mr Glerum said he was hopeful that a final decision was around the corner.

He said: “The plans went in a long time ago to the council and we had our first meeting with them back in January 2023 – so just over a year now – but we are patient people.

“We have been told that the plans could possibly be heard as soon as this month or next, which is very promising and exciting.”

Though Costa Coffee has been confirmed as one of the site’s units, the developer said the other, for a drive-through, was still up in the air, even though Burger King were believed to be in the driving seat.

He said: “We are certainly talking to Burger King, amongst others such as KFC, McDonald’s and Popeyes, so we have not selected one as yet.

“When the planning goes through, then we can go on to the next stage and get a confirmation on who that will be.

“The reason we have these places on the same site is we feel it is important to have somewhere for people to go whilst they are charging their vehicles.”

With the Government trying to get more people to move to electric cars, the Norfolk businessman said he felt places like this would be necessary if the country is to hit its green goals.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a revised set of green policies last year, including pushing back a ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars by five years. Motorists in the UK will still be able to buy petrol and diesel cars until 2035, with second-hand vehicles still available after this date.

He said: “Electric cars and their usage is becoming more of a national talking point, with more and more people thinking of making the swap.

“I have seen for myself that there are a lot of electric cars in Diss now.

“I think in the last 18 months, we have seen the figures more than double, so places where they can be charged are becoming more essential.”

South Norfolk Council was approached for comment on when a planning decision could be made on the project.