Open consultation

Changes to various permitted development rights for EV charging

Published 26 November 2025

Applies to England

Overview

Permitted development rights (PDRs) allow certain building works to be carried out without the need to submit a planning application, streamlining processes and reducing costs for property owners and developers.

The government has already made changes to PDRs to support the deployment of electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints. 

This consultation asks about further proposed changes to PDRs to allow for:  

• multiple units of equipment housing or storage units for electric vehicle chargepoints in non-domestic, off-street car parks  
• the installation of cross-pavement solutions and associated domestic chargepoints 

These changes aim to remove barriers to the timely and affordable installation of reliable charging infrastructure, ensuring that legislative frameworks keep pace with the growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs).

This consultation contains proposed changes to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, as amended (the General Permitted Development Order).

The government has already made changes to permitted development rights to support the deployment of electric vehicle chargepoints across key segments, while maintaining planning safeguards through conditions and limitations to manage and mitigate local impacts. These regulations have traditionally covered residential and workplace chargepoints, public chargepoints on private land and chargepoints on public land (subject to local authority consent). 

In May, the government made further amendments to an existing PDR (under class E, part 2 of schedule 2 of the General Permitted Development Order) to allow for:

• taller upstands
• removing distance restrictions adjacent to the highway
• including equipment housing for larger, more powerful chargepoints in non-domestic off-street car parks 

A planning application is not required for the installation of the majority of non-domestic chargepoints (except, for example, where wider, large-scale development is proposed on the site). These changes to the PDRs have streamlined the delivery process and supported accelerated deployment and investment. 

To understand whether specific subsets of the market could benefit from further changes to PDRs, the government launched a call for evidence in June to collate views from industry, installers, landowners and the public on whether any further changes were needed. This consultation follows the outcome of that call for evidence and actions the responses received. 

Equipment housing for EV charging 

Equipment housing refers to large cabinets or buildings that store the essential systems needed to run and safely operate electric vehicle chargepoints like transformers, control units, and batteries. The size and contents vary depending on the site and type of charger, with larger chargers often containing more of this equipment internally, while others use separate external units. An existing PDR (under class E of part 2) allows for the installation of one unit of equipment housing at ground level within a non-domestic area lawfully used for off-street parking. The PDR is subject to limitations and conditions, including that the equipment housing cannot: 

• exceed 29 cubic metres in size 

• exceed 3 metres in height from the level of the surface used for the parking of vehicles 

• be within 5 metres of a highway

• be within 10 metres of the curtilage of a dwellinghouse or block of flats

Curtilage is the area of land, including buildings, immediately surrounding and associated with a dwelling-house, which is considered part of the property for legal purposes like planning and privacy.  A dwelling-house is a house used as a residence rather than for business.

The rights do not apply in the curtilage of listed buildings or within a site designated as a scheduled monument. They do however apply in article 2(3) land, which includes:

• conservation areas
• world heritage sites
• national parks
• the Broads
• National Landscapes (formerly known as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) 

Following industry feedback, including in response to the recent call for evidence, we are consulting on whether permitted development rights should be extended to allow for the installation of multiple units of equipment housing or storage cabinets. This will support the operation of bigger and more powerful EV upstands, subject to the overall cumulative maximum volume of the multiple equipment units not exceeding 29 cubic metres and all other limitations provisions listed above.  

Questions are provided in this document, so you can read them in context. The consultation response form may include more questions, for example questions about who you are.

You can find the response form and other ways to respond in the How to respond section of the GOV.UK home page for this consultation.

Question 1. Do you agree or disagree that the permitted development rights should be extended to allow for multiple units of equipment housing (with a cumulative maximum volume of 29 cubic metres) in a non-domestic car park? 

• Yes 
• No 
• Don’t know 

Provide your reasoning. 

Question 2. Are there any other likely impacts that should be considered if permitted development rights are extended to allow for multiple units of equipment housing? 

• Yes 
• No 
• Don’t know 

Provide your reasoning. 

Cross-pavement charging solutions

Reliable and comprehensive charging infrastructure is needed to support the transition to zero emission vehicles. The majority of EV charging takes place at home, and we expect this to continue. As the number of EVs on the road increases, government wishes to ensure that legislative frameworks support chargepoint installations in a timely and affordable manner. 

Charging an electric vehicle at home is the most convenient and affordable option for most drivers, and the majority of EV charging currently takes place at residential properties. However, many households do not have access to off-street parking, making it difficult to access domestic EV charging.  

For certain dwellings, a cross-pavement solution is a system that enables a safe passage between a home chargepoint and a vehicle parked on the street. It typically does this by allowing a charging cable to cross the pavement in a way that minimises trip hazards and maintains accessibility for pedestrians.  

The use of cross-pavement solutions helps to minimise and remove the dangers associated with trailing cables across public footways, which can pose risks to pedestrians, especially those with mobility or visual impairments.  

Permission for a cross-pavement solution is required from a local authority. Current law requires up to 3 separate permissions:

• permission from a local authority (in its capacity as highway authority) to lay a cable across the pavement (under section 178, Highways Act 1980)
• planning permission for the cross-pavement solution and associated EV chargepoint^{[footnote 1]}
• street works permissions to install infrastructure

Through the proposed changes, planning permission would be granted on a national basis via PDR. Those seeking to install a cross-pavement solution would not be required to submit a planning application. Section 178 permission and street works permissions would still be required for the installation of a cross-pavement solution.  

The government believes it is important that local authorities retain responsibility for approving individual cross-pavement solutions, ensuring that decisions about street infrastructure consider the needs and opinions of residents. Under the proposed changes, local authorities would still have the power to refuse permission for a cross-pavement solution under section 178, Highways Act 1980 – this requires local authority permission for a cable to be laid across a pavement.   

It is also important that cross-pavement solutions ensure continued accessibility of the pavement for the wider public, including those who are less mobile. To support this, in 2024, government published an addendum to the Specification for the reinstatement of openings in highways (SROH) relating to cross-pavement solutions. This addendum to the SROH sets standards for reinstating streets after completing the installation of a cross-pavement solution.  

To ensure everyone can benefit from reliable and cost-effective EV charging, including those who have accessible on-street parking, the government is therefore consulting on introducing a PDR for cross-pavement solutions and also a dedicated chargepoint. The dedicated chargepoint will either be an electrical outlet or an upstand. In both instances, these will be off-street but not in areas lawfully used for off-street parking for example, due to absence of land available for a car parking space. 

The PDR would allow for any engineering operations necessary to install the cross-pavement solution, to be undertaken by the relevant highway authority or cross-pavement solution provider on behalf of the relevant highway authority only. 

The PDR would be subject to limitations and conditions, including that the cross-pavement solution or the associated chargepoint would not: 

• be within a site designated as a scheduled monument
• be within the curtilage of a listed building

These proposed changes will help ensure that more people, can access affordable and safe EV charging at home, supporting the transition to zero emission vehicles. 

Q3. Do you agree or disagree that a new permitted development rights should be introduced for the installation of cross-pavement solutions to support on-street EV charging? 

• Yes 
• No 
• Don’t know 

Provide your reasoning. 

Q4. Do you agree or disagree that the new permitted development right should allow for an associated off-street EV chargepoint which is linked to a cross-pavement solution?

• Yes 
• No 
• Don’t know 

Provide your reasoning. 

Q5.  What, if any, further stipulations are required to ensure accessibility of the pavement for all users?

Q6. What, if any, likely impacts do you think should be considered if a PDR is introduced to allow for cross-pavement solutions and associated chargepoints? 

Q7. In your view are what, if any, further changes are needed to reflect and ensure consistency with devolved policies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland? 

Public Sector Equality Duty 

We are required to assess these proposals by reference to the Public Sector Equality Duty contained in the Equality Act 2010. A Public Sector Equality Duty Assessment will be prepared reflecting the detail of the changes to be made prior to any secondary legislation being laid. 

We welcome your comments as part of this consultation on whether any of the proposed changes could lead to any impacts on people who share a protected characteristic - age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation. 

In providing comments, please make it clear which permitted development right or chapter of this consultation your comment relates to and do not include personal information in your response.

Q8. Do you think that any of our proposed changes could impact anyone who shares any of the protected characteristics? 

• Yes, all of the characteristics are affected
• Yes, some of the characteristics are affected
• No 
• Don’t know 

Provide which characteristics and your reasons. 

Q9. Any other comments?

How to respond

You can find the response form and other ways to respond in the How to respond section of the GOV.UK home page for this consultation.

The consultation period began on 26 November 2025 and will run until 21 January 2026. Please ensure that your response reaches us before the closing date.

What will happen next

We will publish a summary of responses and the government response on the homepage for this consultation. Paper copies will be available on request.

Full list of questions

These questions are listed here to give you an overview of what we are asking. The consultation response form may include more questions, for example questions about who you are.

You can find the response form and other ways to respond in the How to respond section of the GOV.UK home page for this consultation.

Question 1. Do you agree or disagree that the permitted development rights should be extended to allow for multiple units of equipment housing (with a cumulative maximum volume of 29 cubic metres) in a non-domestic car park? 

• Yes 
• No 
• Don’t know 

Provide your reasoning. 

Question 2. Are there any other likely impacts that should be considered if permitted development rights are extended to allow for multiple units of equipment housing?? 

• Yes 
• No 
• Don’t know 

Provide your reasoning. 

Question 3. Do you agree or disagree that a new permitted development rights should be introduced for the installation of cross-pavement solutions to support on-street EV charging? 

• Yes 
• No 
• Don’t know 

Provide your reasoning. 

Question 4. Do you agree or disagree that the new permitted development right should allow for an associated off-street EV chargepoint which is linked to a cross-pavement solution?

• Yes 
• No 
• Don’t know 

Provide your reasoning. 

Question 5.  What, if any, further stipulations are required to ensure accessibility of the pavement for all users?

Question 6. What, if any, likely impacts do you think should be considered if a PDR is introduced to allow for cross-pavement solutions and associated chargepoints? 

Question 7. In your view are what, if any, further changes are needed to reflect and ensure consistency with devolved policies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland? 

Question 8. Do you think that any of our proposed changes could impact anyone who shares any of the protected characteristics? 

• Yes, all of the characteristics are affected
• Yes, some of the characteristics are affected
• No 
• Don’t know 

Provide which characteristics and your reasons. 

Question 9. Any other comments?

Freedom of information

Information provided in response to this consultation, including personal information, may be subject to publication or disclosure in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

If you want information that you provide to be treated as confidential, please be aware that, under the FOIA, there is a statutory code of practice with which public authorities must comply and which deals, amongst other things, with obligations of confidence.

In view of this it would be helpful if you could explain to us why you regard the information you have provided as confidential. If we receive a request for disclosure of the information, we will take full account of your explanation, but we cannot give an assurance that confidentiality can be maintained in all circumstances. An automatic confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system will not, of itself, be regarded as binding on the department.

Data protection

The Department for Transport (DfT) is running this consultation which is asking for your views on to permitted development rights to support the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

View our DfT online form and survey privacy notice for more information on how your personal data is processed in relation to this survey.

Do not include personal information in your responses unless specifically requested.

Footnote

1. Existing PDRs, under class D and class E of part 2, allow only for the installation of chargepoints in an area legally used for off-street parking - where there would be no need for a cross-pavement solution. ↩