Oldham, in Greater Manchester, is set to become the first in the country to have a showroom solely dedicated to electric cars.
Planning permission has been granted for the Manchester Electric Car Company (MECC) to build new premises on the former Roxy cinema site in Hollinwood, Oldham.
The showroom, scheduled to open in the summer of next year, is expected to be the first of six such sites planned for across Greater Manchester. Other areas Manchester Airport, Manchester City Centre, Oldham, MediaCityUK, Stockport and the Trafford Centre.
The ‘Hollinwood Electric Pod’ as it is to become known will show electric cars, bikes and scooters available to buy or lease, rapid charging points, valet services and maintenance and after sales care.
Greater Manchester successfully was named a future ‘Plugged in Place’ after a successful bid by £3.6 million Government funding which was then matched by private investors to form the MECC.
According to the Manchester Evening News, MECC, led by Cheshire motor dealer Ron Stratton, is also planning to install a regional network of 300 charging points across Greater Manchester by April, 2013.
Chief executive of the MECC, Ron Stratton told the Guardian: “We know the demand for electric vehicles is out there and we’re expecting interest and sales to increase significantly in the coming years. Many EVs are already available and 2012 will see up to 25 new commercial cars and vans going on the open market.”
Oldham Councillor Dave Hibbert said: “This would be a fantastic coup for Hollinwood – a regeneration scheme that will really help to put it back on the map.”
“Oldham Council is the lead AGMA authority on the electric vehicle scheme and the old Roxy site is an ideal location for the region’s very first ‘Pod’.
“Its proximity to the M60 – with easy access to regional and national motorway networks, plus Manchester International Airport – and its direct links into Manchester city centre and Oldham (via the A62), would be essential to its success.”
