ENVIRONMENTALISTS will be loving it if McDonald's gets the go ahead to install two rapid electric vehicle charging stations in the car park of its edge of Taunton restaurant.

The fast food chain is seeking planning permission to site the InstVolt stations in the grounds of its outlet at Heron Gate.

A statement to planners at Somerset West and Taunton Council claims motorists using the facility would be able charge a vehicle with a 120-mile range in around 15 minutes.

The proposals comes as the UK targets its binding climate agreement to reduce CO2 emissions by at leat 100 per cent of 1990 levels by 2050.

The Government is also banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.

At the same time, the Somerset Climate Emergency Strategy recognises that extensive electrification of surface transport is needed, and that electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Somerset needs to scale up significantly.

A statement with the application says: "The proposed site is at McDonald’s Restaurant, Heron Gate, Taunton, which has a car park associated with the premises.

"It is within this car park that we are proposing the installation of the charging stations.

"This site has sufficient space for the charging units and the location has been carefully selected to not interfere with day-to-day access, deliveries, movements around the carpark and existing utilities within the site.

"It will also have no detrimental impact on the surrounding spaces adjacent to the site."

Along with the charging units, MacDonald's wants to put in a feeder pillar in a green box, which would provide the point of connection from the charging units, which will be monitored 24 hours a day.

The statement adds: "Should an issue occur with a unit, our control centre will be notified, and an engineer dispatched to the site."

Installation of the units would take around a week.