NEW electric vehicle charging points designed to be accessible for disabled people are set to be installed.

As part of a new trial, two new charging bays will be installed at Rottingdean Marine Cliffs car park in Brighton.

They can deliver a full charge for an electric vehicle (EV) in a little as four hours.

The chargers are set to be installed in the coming weeks.

The trial is a collaborative project between the city’s electric vehicle charging operator EB Charging and Disabled Motoring UK.

Following meetings with local disability groups Possability People and Badge, Brighton and Hove City Council will also add two standard disabled parking bays.

Co-chairman of the environment, transport and sustainability committee, Steve Davis said: “We know that one of the things that will prevent those who need a car from choosing an electric vehicle is concerns about infrastructure.

"This, I’m sure, is heightened for disabled people.

“We want Brighton and Hove to be a city accessible for everyone and projects like this mean we can continue to innovate and work towards our goal of becoming a carbon neutral city by 2030.”

During the trial, the council will be asking for feedback from users on the height and width of the bays and the use of a new advanced EV charging bay booking system.

The council is also looking for EV users with a blue badge to trial new infrastructure and booking system, as well as take part in a survey to better understand how they can develop the project further.

Those who’d like to take part between February 14 and March 31, please contact parkingprojects@brighton-hove.gov.uk.

The project. entitled Shift, follows a government funding bid with EB Charging Ltd. It means that more than £250,000 of Innovate UK funding will be used to pay for the project.

Across the city, more than 200 lamppost chargers have been installed to date, as well as fast and rapid chargers.

Alex Calnan, CEO of EB Charging, said: “It’s great to be part of this important project which will help us make sure that electric vehicles and our charging network are fully accessible to all drivers.

“We believe it will deliver fresh insights that we’ll be able to roll out across the region and beyond.”

Graham Footer, Chief Executive of Disabled Motoring UK, added: “Accessible charging is an important part of the EV infrastructure roll out which until now has mainly been forgotten.”