The Government’s decision to simplify permitted development rights for EV charging infrastructure is a welcome and pragmatic step.
The transition to electric transport depends not only on the number of vehicles being sold, but on whether the infrastructure needed to charge them can be connected and delivered quickly. Too often, otherwise viable projects are slowed by overlapping planning, consenting and land-access processes.
Allowing multiple units of equipment housing in non-domestic car parks, with a cumulative volume of up to 45 cubic metres is welcomed. Rapid and ultra-rapid sites increasingly require transformers, control equipment and battery systems that cannot always be accommodated within a single unit. Requiring a full planning application simply because that equipment is arranged differently adds delay without necessarily providing a corresponding public benefit. However, we still see the need to expand the permitted development rights to enable large substation up to 45 cubic meters as a critical step for more efficient EV charging connection infrastructure and for the deployment of equipment that uses alternatives to sulfer hexafluoride. We urge the Government to bring this change forward under the proposed Energy Independence Bill.
The proposed right for cross-pavement charging solutions is also important. Households without driveways should not be excluded from convenient and affordable home charging, provided installations protect accessibility and pedestrian safety.
These reforms reflect the faster and more proportionate approach to land and consents that the Independent Networks Association has consistently advocated. Independent networks already play a significant role in connecting EV charging infrastructure and have seen how unnecessary uncertainty can increase costs, delay investment and constrain growth.
However, the announcement is a starting point, not the finish line. The new rights are not yet in force and will require secondary legislation amending the General Permitted Development Order. Highways, street-works, electrical-safety and land-access requirements will also remain.
The priority must now be swift implementation, clear conditions and a commencement timetable that gives operators and investors confidence. Government should also continue working towards greater consistency across Great Britain and ensure independent networks are fully represented as the detailed framework is developed.
Planning reform alone will not resolve every barrier facing EV charging projects. But removing unnecessary friction is precisely the kind of practical change needed to turn ambition into infrastructure on the ground.
