The Department for Transport announced on 21 October 2026 that planning permission is no longer required to install a cross-pavement EV charger, the channel that carries a charging cable under the pavement from a home to a car parked on the street1. The government says the change will save drivers up to £300 on installation and "open up home charging for as little as 2p per mile"1. Utility Week reported the removal of the planning requirement on the same day2.
The change applies in England. The Guardian reported that drivers in England without off-street parking will no longer need planning permission for a pavement gully from Wednesday 21 October3. Homebuilding reported that the planning permission fee will be waived for cross-pavement solutions such as a cable gully, but that local authorities, in particular the highways department, will still need to sign off the proposed work4. The Guardian reported that anyone in a conservation area will still have to apply, and that removing the step will save drivers between £300 and £5003. It also reported that more than 20 local authorities appear to be holding out against having the gullies installed, among them Kent, Leicester and Worcestershire, with most of the holdouts in London3.
Buses and Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood said:
"We're saving drivers up to £300 off the cost of installing home charging by cutting unnecessary red tape."
The government said cross-pavement charging lets residents without off-street parking plug into cheaper domestic electricity prices, "helping them access savings of up to £1,750 on running costs"1. Homebuilding gave the figure as savings of up to £1,750 on running costs per year4. The Guardian reported that VAT on domestic electricity was cut from 5% to 0% at the beginning of October 2026, while the tax on public charging remains at 20%3. It cited ChargeUK figures putting average off-peak at-home charging at 8p per kWh against a standard public charging average of 54p3.
The government also said September 2026 was a record month for UK electric car sales, up 36% in a year, with nearly 100,000 electric cars sold in a single month, and that the Electric Car Grant has now helped over 190,000 drivers save up to £3,750 off a new EV1. It said changes to permitted development rights mean it will be quicker and cheaper for charge point operators to install larger, higher-powered public EV charging hubs1.
Vicky Edmonds, chief executive of EVA England, said:
"Our research found that 60% of petrol and diesel drivers without off-street parking would never consider an EV."
Why it matters for households
For a household without a driveway, charging from a domestic supply rather than a public charge point is the main route to lower running costs, and the planning step was one of the barriers to it. The guide to planning permission for a home EV charge point sets out how the rules differ across the UK, and charging an EV without a driveway covers the options where a cross-pavement channel is not available. The change does not by itself guarantee a channel: the highway authority still has to approve the work4, and councils that do not allow gullies leave residents reliant on public charging3. The cross-pavement charging grant is the funding route councils have used, and the Guardian reported the government has given £25m to councils in England for pavement gullies, distributed in different ways depending on the local authority3. For a home's energy independence, the practical effect is that more households can charge from their own supply, alongside home charging running costs and the wider question of EV charging and household energy independence.
What happens next
The government has launched two consultations: one on amending the building regulations for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and one on expanding EV charging access for tenants and leaseholders1. The government is considering mandatory requirements for landlords and freeholders to make it harder to refuse renters' applications, and building regulations could be updated to ensure charge points are installed in new and refurbished covered car parks1. The closing date for responses is 16 December 20261.
Sources4 sources
- Drivers to save up to £300 when installing EV chargers at home, as government slashes unnecessary red tape - GOV.UK, gov.uk
- Planning permission no longer needed for cross-pavement EV charging - Utility Week, utilityweek.co.uk
- ‘I can charge my car for £6’: could new rules cut costs for EV drivers? | Motoring | The Guardian, theguardian.com
- EV cross-pavement planning permission rules scrapped | Homebuilding, homebuilding.co.uk