New planning rules for EV chargers take effect on 21 October 2026

England changes its planning rules for home EV chargers on 21 October 2026. For households with no driveway, it removes the need for a planning application for a wall charger and a council-approved pavement channel. It does not remove the council’s power to say no.

What the order changes

• Pavement channels become permitted development. A new Class F in Part 9 of the 2015 order permits installing a “pavement-embedded cable channel” by, on behalf of, or with the authorisation of a highway authority. It does not apply in a conservation area, a scheduled monument or a listed building’s curtilage. The channel must be removed and the pavement reinstated when no longer needed.
• Wall chargers can go anywhere in the curtilage. Classes D and E, which covered chargers on parking areas, now also cover “any other area within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse or block of flats”. The unit is limited to 0.2 cubic metres and 1.6 metres above ground. Under the new curtilage route only one outlet is allowed, and not in a conservation area.
• Pavement rules apply. If the wall adjoins a highway, the unit may protrude no more than 0.2 metres and must leave at least 1.5 metres of footway. Where a footway lies between the charger and the car, the cable must cross it through an authorised cross-pavement solution.
• A year to finish old plans. Work that was permitted before 21 October 2026 but is not afterwards, such as a unit mounted above 1.6 metres, can still be carried out until the end of 20 October 2027.

The order also lifts limits for equipment in non-domestic car parks and for substations. Those do not affect homes.

Who benefits

Households with no driveway in a council that runs a channel scheme. Until 20 October 2026, the government’s guidance said planning permission was required for chargers serving on-street parking. EVinfrastructure.co.uk puts the fee at £262 for a householder-type application and £528 for a full one, and Cumberland Council quotes £309. The government said in October 2025 that removing the requirement could save “up to £250 in application fees”.

The group is large. In England, 40.8% of homes have no parking on their own plot, according to the English Housing Survey’s 2024 sample. But channels exist only where councils offer them: Kerbo Charge, the supplier with the widest council footprint we found, lists 55 councils live and 22 on trial.

What does not change

• Highways consent. The DfT’s response says anyone installing a cross-pavement solution “will still require permissions under the Highways Act 1980 (Sections 178 and 50)”. The council can refuse.
• No parking space guarantee. A channel does not reserve you a kerbside spot.
• Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. They are outside this order.
• It is not the ‘driveway rule’. The June 2026 headlines about a new rule for driveways recycled a May 2025 change. Our planning permission guide separates the two.

What to do next

1. Ask your council whether it runs a channel scheme and how to apply. Our cross-pavement guide lists council prices from £250 to £1,425.
2. Get the council’s written consent before any work. The OZEV on-street grant also needs it as evidence.
3. Apply for the grant: 75% of the charger, up to £500, until 31 March 2027. Wait for OZEV to confirm eligibility before the charger goes in.
4. Do not trail a cable meanwhile. It can breach the Highways Act, and the new condition does not bless it.
5. In a conservation area or listed building, check with the council. The new rights do not apply there.

We will update this page when the order takes effect and when councils announce their schemes.