The Department for Transport has made a significant move to speed up the deployment of electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints by removing the need for planning permission in England, starting Thursday (May 29). This change applies to installations on private residential driveways, workplaces, and public streets.
This step is expected to overcome the administrative barriers that have slowed down the spread of charging facilities, with some reports indicating that it can take as long as nine months to get planning consent from local councils for public chargepoints.
Boosting the availability of public charging points is seen as essential for encouraging more motorists, especially those without the luxury of private parking, to switch to electric vehicles.
A National Audit Office report from December indicates that the UK is on course to meet the Department for Transport’s target of 300,000 public EV chargers by 2030. The government has pledged to prohibit the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by the same year.
Lilian Greenwood, Minister for the Future of Roads, commented: “We’re cutting down on paperwork to power up the EV revolution so that drivers, businesses and those looking to make the switch will have more chargepoints to power from and less red tape to deal with.”, reports the Express.
“We continue to make the switch to EVs easier, cheaper and better by investing over £2.3 billion to support drivers and back British carmakers through international trade deals, creating jobs, boosting investment and securing our future.”
Lewis Gardiner, operations director at Osprey Charging Network, welcomed the news enthusiastically, stating: “Removing the need for planning permission for essential electrical infrastructure like substations across the majority of sites will save months of delays, reduce costs and accelerate the delivery of the rapid charging hubs drivers need.”
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, emphasised the importance of government action to increase the number of EV chargers, pointing out that simplifying planning regulations “will help accelerate installations”.
He added: “The crucial element is ensuring grid connection in a timely manner. This is especially important in rural locations and areas where there is no dedicated off-street parking.”
RAC’s senior policy officer Rod Dennis responded positively to the announcement, noting that encouraging more motorists to opt for an EV as their next vehicle depends on “removing the obstacles some people face”.
Nevertheless, he warned that the “relatively high cost of public charging… still needs to be tackled”.
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