City of Newcastle is poised to make electric vehicle charging infrastructure mandatory in new developments.
The council's Labor majority will propose at Tuesday night's monthly meeting that any new development worth more than $200,000 include conduit and cabling to allow for future charging stations in car parks and garages.
Labor said in a statement on Monday that charging infrastructure would add an estimated $50 to $300 to the cost of each parking space, which was "much cheaper than future retrofitting".
"Additionally, new commercial and large-scale residential development will be required to install charging stations to service 5 per cent of their new car parking spaces," the statement said.
The changes to the city's development control plan will go on public exhibition for 28 days after the council meeting.
"As the world moves towards electric vehicles, it's appropriate that building standards also adapt," Labor councillor Elizabeth Adamczyk said in the statement.
"In five to ten years, we know that many garages across the city will be home to an electric vehicle.
"By requiring that new buildings are EV ready, through simple actions like installing appropriate cabling when buildings are constructed, we'll be ensuring that the city is ready for the future."
