The Government has confirmed plans to introduce a permitted-development right in England for qualifying cross-pavement EV charging solutions and associated domestic chargepoints.
The proposed change, set out in the Department for Transport’s consultation response published on 11 September 2026, is intended to remove the need for a separate planning application for eligible installations. However, the amended rights are not yet in force. The Government expects secondary legislation to amend the General Permitted Development Order to be laid before Parliament in autumn 2026, subject to Parliamentary time and commencement arrangements.
Cross-pavement systems enable a charging cable to reach a vehicle parked on the street through an engineered solution across the pavement, rather than having a cable laid across the footway. Existing permitted-development rights generally cover chargepoints in land lawfully used for off-street parking, meaning households without driveways have been outside their scope.
The new right will not remove the need for highway-related approvals. The Department for Transport said local authorities will retain oversight of works affecting pavements through approvals under sections 178 and 50. In particular, the Government will not remove section 50 licensing requirements for works on the public highway.
The right will also include limitations and conditions, as well as prior-approval requirements where appropriate. The Government said this approach is intended to reduce the time and cost of installing suitable home charging infrastructure while maintaining protections for safety, amenity and accessibility.
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The consultation ran from 14 November 2025 to 21 January 2026 and received 147 responses. On the proposed cross-pavement right, 104 respondents agreed, 29 disagreed, nine said they did not know and six gave no return.
The Department for Transport said installations should continue to comply with BS 7671 electrical-safety requirements. Its published guidance also makes clear that installing a cross-pavement solution would not give a resident priority over, or ownership of, the kerbside parking space outside their property.
Before the planned reform takes effect, an installation may require planning permission alongside highway authority consent to cross the pavement and street-works permission. The proposed permitted-development right would address the planning element for qualifying schemes, rather than replacing the separate highway controls.
The consultation response also confirms a separate permitted-development change affecting non-domestic off-street car parks. It will allow multiple units of EV-charging equipment housing, with the cumulative volume threshold increased from 29 cubic metres to 45 cubic metres.
The timetable for both changes remains dependent on the legislation being laid before Parliament and on the eventual commencement arrangements.
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