EV charger installations no longer need planning permission

Businesses and drivers will no longer need to apply for planning permission to install public or private EV chargers, the Government has announced.

The move is intended to make it easier for thousands of drivers to transition to electric vehicles, as well as accelerating the rollout of EV chargers across the UK.

This will come as a welcome change for business owners and EV drivers with on-street parking, who until now have had to wait several months for the green light from local authorities to be able to install charging infrastructure. Longstanding exemptions meant that drivers with off-street parking did not face the same planning permission obstructions when installing home chargers.

Lifting these restrictions is also likely to accelerate the speed at which large public charging ‘hubs’ can be implemented, because they were not only subjected to planning constraints, but they have also been subjected to long waits to be connected to the electricity grid.

Lewis Gardiner, operations director at Osprey, said in a government statement: “This is a hugely welcome and practical change that will make a real difference on the ground.

“Removing the need for planning permission for essential electrical infrastructure like sub-stations across the majority of sites will save months of delays, reduce costs and accelerate the delivery of the rapid charging hubs drivers need.”

While this is a step in the right direction in easing the transition to EVs, experts warn that more still needs to be done to ensure targets are met.

The previous Conservative government set a goal for the installation of 300,000 public chargers across the nation by 2030, and while these new changes should speed up the process, issues surrounding the reliability and affordability of these chargers still need to be addressed.

Following the Government’s announcement, senior RAC policy officer Rod Dennis said: “Getting more drivers to opt for an EV next time around depends on reducing the costs and removing the obstacles some people face - and that includes having to seek planning permission for a home charger. Having one installed unlocks the prospect of incredibly cheap charging, so homeowners will welcome this announcement.

“It remains the case, however, that the relatively high cost of public charging, especially at rapid and ultra-rapid sites – which is so important for people who have no option of charging up cheaply at home – still needs to be tackled.”

In December last year, What Car? published its EV manifesto, citing a number of significant challenges that need to be addressed to aid the transition to electric vehicles. 

Recent What Car? research found that many public charging networks are not in compliance with the Public Charge Point Regulations set out by the previous government, which include a universal payment app for chargers across the country, and regularly publishing reliability data.

The UK is currently falling behind on EV uptake targets, with electric cars representing just 20.7% of the new car market in 2025, according to the SMMT – trailing the 28% target set out by the Government’s ZEV mandate.

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