Electric vehicle charging

Installing an EV home charger will often fall under permitted development rights¹. As such no planning application is required before the installation begins provided it meets the following criteria set out by Schedule 2, Part 2, Class D and E of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended).²

The permitted development rules stated below came into force on 21 October 2026, superseding the previous rules. You can carry out development using the previous rules until 20 October 2027.

When being used for on-street parking any charging cable must cross the footway by means of an authorised cross-pavement solution such as a pavement-embedded cable channel. This means that its installation must be authorised and/or carried out by (or on behalf of) the relevant highway authority, usually your local council.

Electrical charging outlets

When installing an electrical charging outlet (Class D), the outlet and its casing must not:

• Exceed 0.2 cubic metres
• Be installed more than 1.6 metres above ground level
• Be within the curtilage of a listed building, or a site designated as a scheduled monument
• When installed within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse or block of flats, result in more than one outlet being installed, or be within a conservation area
• When mounted on a wall of a dwellinghouse or block of flats that immediately adjoins a highway, protrude by more than 0.2 metres from the external wall or be within 1.5 metres of the edge of the carriageway (i.e. the part of the highway used by vehicles).

Electrical upstands

When installing an upstand with a mounted electrical charging outlet (Class E), the upstand and outlet must not:

• In a non-domestic off-street parking area, exceed 2.7 metres in height from the level of the surface used for the parking of vehicles. This limit is 1.6 metres in any other location, including in the curtilage of a dwellinghouse or block of flats
• When within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse or block of flats, be within a conservation area
• Be within the curtilage of a listed building, or a site designated as a scheduled monument
• Result in more than one upstand being provided for each parking space.

When installing non-domestic equipment housing for the storage of equipment, the housing must not:

• Result in the cumulative volume of housing installed under Class E exceeding more than 45 cubic metres
• When the cumulative volume of the housing in a non-domestic area exceeds 29 cubic metres, be within a site of special scientific interest, European site or used to display an advertisement
• Exceed 3 metres in height from the level of the surface used for parking
• Be within 5 metres of the highway
• Be within 10 metres of the curtilage of a dwellinghouse or block of flats.

If the cumulative volume of equipment housing installed within a non-domestic area would exceed 29 cubic metres and the equipment would be installed on article 2(3) land you must apply to the local planning authority from prior approval³.

Cross-pavement solutions

Cross-pavement solutions refer to cable channels which cross a pavement allowing an electric car charging cable to pass safely underneath. These can be installed using permitted development rights, meaning an application for planning permission is not required provided certain limits and conditions are met.

The pavement crossing must be from a domestic premises to a parked vehicle and be installed by, on behalf of, or with authorisation from a highway authority.

The pavement crossing must not:

• Be within a site designated as a scheduled monument or conservation area
• Be within the curtilage of a listed building.

When the electrical outlet, upstand or cross payment solution is no longer required the wall (on which the outlet was mounted) or the land (on which the upstand or cross-pavement solution was placed) must be returned to its previous condition (prior to the installation being carried out) as soon as possible.

Before carrying out any work you should check whether permitted development rights have been removed through an Article 4 direction.

If the work doesn’t meet the requirements set out above, then planning permission will be required. Alternatively, if you are unsure whether the work is legal you can apply for a lawful development certificate.

1. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/responsibilities/planning-permission/permitted-development-rights
2. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/596/schedule/2/part/2
3. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/planning/planning-applications/consent-types/prior-approval