They're electric: new west London townhouses with personal car charging points, private gardens and sunken patios

More than 4,000 electric cars are being registered each month in the UK, yet there are only 4,929 charging points across the country, says the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

Research shows that green-minded home buyers want the convenience of a charging point where they live — not merely a nearby communal point, but a personal car charging point in their very own garage or front drive. Now developers are beginning to respond.

Chiswick Gate is a scheme of 44 houses, each with a charging point, and 79 flats, all set back behind busy Hogarth Roundabout in west London and moments from the biggest Tesla car showroom in Europe. The gated site, once a Cherry Blossom shoe polish factory, reinvents the London garden square, with an open central landscaped area lined with traditional-style brick townhouses that sit above a vast underground car park, allowing residents to step out of their vehicle and straight into their home via a separate basement entrance.

There are no car parks above ground, freeing up precious space for communal gardens and safe play areas for children. Townhouses have private gardens and sunken patios, too. Prices from £1,957,000. Apartments start at £618,000. Call Berkeley Homes on 020 3411 8602.

We can expect more electric carfriendly projects like this one. By 2020, petrol and diesel cars will be banned in Oxford city centre, and other local authorities are considering similar initiatives.