Abbey House Hotel & Gardens is a Grade II listed, luxury hotel and venue in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. Designed by renowned architect Edwin Lutyen, the iconic property is set on 14 acres of stunning, landscaped gardens.

Keen to move with the times, accommodate the needs of staff and guests and help transform the EV charging provision in the area, Abbey House Hotel & Gardens partnered with us to create 10 new EV charging bays. With Furness General Hospital just down the road, it was important to take a community-minded approach and also consider the EV charging needs of staff and patients.

We proposed a clever mix of chargers as part of our fully-funded solution: Ultra-fast for those working or visiting the hospital and Fast chargers for hotel guests who may wish to charge overnight.

However, the project wasn't without its challenges.

Charging spaces (including a concealed power cabinet) had to be carefully positioned to maintain the beauty and heritage of the property's idyllic setting. And this meant working closely with the incumbent architects, local planning teams and relevant protection societies to design a bespoke solution perfect for such a unique location.

Abbey House Hotel & Gardens CEO, Brian Conroy, explained:

"We knew we needed to offer EV charging for our guests, but we didn't know where to start. The Be.EV team helped us get our head around the different types of chargers and all the different aspects we needed to consider. They even worked with our architects to make sure whatever we install is sensitive to our listed status and our beautiful grounds.

"Like us, the Be.EV approach is all about putting the customer and the local public first. They looked at what we need to provide now based on visitor trends and existing local infrastructure. But they also made sure we have a plan for the next decade as the number of EVs increases.

"As a business, we are ready to invest in reducing our carbon footprint. As it happens, Be.EV's solution is delivered at no cost to us and connects us to a growing regional network, with added benefits for the local community. It's a win-win!"