In most cases, installing an electric vehicle charger is considered permitted development and does not require planning permission.
Off-street parking
A wall mounted recharging outlet
This is normally considered to be permitted development and does not require planning permission providing you meet the criteria set out below:
- the outlet should not exceed 0.2 cubic metres in size
- they can be placed in Conservation Areas but not a listed building or scheduled monument.
Check if your property is in a Conservation Area.
An upstand with recharging outlet
This is normally considered to be permitted development and does not require planning permission, if you meet the criteria set out below and your property is not a listed building or scheduled monument:
- the outlet should not exceed 1.6 metres in height from the surface used for parking within the curtiledge of a home or 2.7 metres outside of this.
- there should only be one upstand for each parking space
Where planning permission may be required
Permission is usually required for:
- on-street parking: permitted development rights are not available and planning permission is required. You can apply for planning permission via the Planning Portal.
- conservation areas and listed buildings
- areas where the installation of electric vehicle (EV) chargers is restricted, for example through article 4 directives
- more than one per parking space.
We recommend making an application for a Lawful Development Certificate (Proposed Use or Development) to see if you would need formal planning permission or not.
Installing a home charger is classified as a development, so you must ensure the correct permissions are in place before any changes are made.
If you want to install an electric vehicle charger on a property within a Conservation area, then there are increased chances that if an application is accepted there will be conditions attached. This may affect the size, appearance and placement of the charger.
If you need to apply for planning permission, please go to the Planning Portal.