Fareham Borough Council will introduce electric vehicle charging at the former Osborn Road Car Park.

As part of the £30m Fareham town centre regeneration scheme, Osborn Road’s multi-storey car park is currently being demolished and turned into a surface car park that will be renamed Fareham Live Car Park.

Joju Charging, appointed by the council in January 2024, will supply, install and operate the first four electric vehicle charge points in the 129-space car park. The decision on how much they will cost drivers is yet to be made.

READ MORE: Fareham Osborn Road multi-storey car park being demolished

To charge a vehicle, a car park visitor will need to download and use an app on their mobile phone from Joju Charging, part of The Hubeleon system. This app and other payment methods such as contactless payment, fuel cards and zap maps will allow visitors to pay for using the chargers, a council report said.

There are currently two charging tariff options being considered by the council. The first is customers being charged a fee to cover direct costs only, or the second is a price at 10 per cent above direct cost.

Direct costs include installation and future renewal capital costs, operation and maintenance contract costs, bank charges, electricity bill costs, and contributions to council overheads to manage the electric vehicle spaces.

Once the tariff is decided the information will be available on the council’s fees and charges listings.

The decision to install more electric vehicle chargers will be reviewed after 12 months of usage at the Fareham Live car park. 

The car park is being revamped to coincide with the reopening and refurbishment of Fareham’s new arts and entertainment centre, Fareham Live formerly Ferneham Hall. 

Fareham Live will kick-start its 2024 season with Australian actor Jason Donovan starring in Richard O’Brien’s legendary Rocky Horror Show between October 1 to 5. 

Trafalgar Theatres, which operates the venue, has already created a rich programme of entertainment including national touring shows, comedy, ballet, drama and music. These include acts such as Jimmy Carr, Pam Ayres and Adam Kay.