Could electric cars spell the end of UK front gardens? Leading conservationist warns that homeowners are mowing their lawns to install charging stations
- Craig Bennett of the Wildlife Trusts said lawns could be lost to chargers
Electric cars are threatening Britain’s front gardens as owners pave over them to install charging points, a leading environmentalist has warned.
Craig Bennett, from the Wildlife Trusts, said lawns could be lost due to a lack of on-street charging points, meaning e-car owners feel the need to build their own.
Urban gardens encourage wildlife, cool cities and prevent flooding by absorbing water during heavy rain. Bennett has therefore called on municipalities to install more communal charging points on the street instead.
Craig Bennett (pictured), from the Wildlife Trusts, said lawns could be lost due to a lack of on-street charging points, meaning e-car owners feel the need to charge their own
Electric cars threaten Britain’s front gardens as owners pave over them to install charging points, he warned (Stock Image)
Speaking at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, the former head of Friends of the Earth said: ‘Unfortunately we see people converting their front yards into electric car parking lots.
If they didn’t [a parking space] for that they make one to place in a charging point. Let’s keep these pretty front yards and let’s keep them wild.’
Research by the Royal Horticultural Society in 2015 found that a quarter of all homes had front gardens, with the trend initially starting for petrol and diesel cars and escalating since then.
Mr Bennett added: ‘Local authorities need to recognize that it is in everyone’s interest to put good infrastructure on the street and the government needs to think about that, and perhaps give tax incentives for putting up charging points.’