Andy Burnham is overseeing two major motoring rule changes this October as part of drastic changes for electric car owners, although some road users will be banned from making savings. The Prime Minister has altered VAT rates on domestic electricity bills, slashing fees from 5% to 0% in a move that experts suggest could save EV owners with a driveway up to £40 per year.
New Cross-Pavement Solutions Rule
Labour’s updates don’t stop there, with new cross-pavement solution rules set to come into effect from October 21 in a boost for those without a driveway or off-street parking space. Under the changes, Labour will allow homeowners and renters to install cable solutions, such as pavement gullies, to connect an EV charger from their house to their car.
This previously required traditional planning permission, but the new updates will mean motorists won’t need this to take advantage of the savings. This will ensure those without access to a driveway can still charge at the discounted 0% domestic rates, rather than the more expensive 20% VAT charged on public charging plugs.
Conservation Area Restrictions
However, one set of road users will not be allowed to take advantage of the new cross-pavement solution due to a late legislative change. The Government has decided that those living in conservation areas will not be allowed to make changes and will still require full planning permission.
It is understood there are around 10,000 conservation areas around England alone, with the new rule set to affect as many as 3.5million people who don’t have a driveway. A Government spokesperson told The Times: “We want to support households without off-street parking to access domestic electric vehicle charging, but it’s vital that we continue to protect the special character of our conservation areas.
“People in conservation areas without off-street parking can still apply for planning permission to install a cross-pavement solution. Local authorities also have powers to grant blanket permission for these installations in an entire area if they choose to.”
Approval Process and Concerns
Despite the changes, local highway authorities will still need to approve a cross-parking cable installation. This should take just a couple of weeks compared to several months under the previous planning permission requirement.
Daniel Briggs, CEO at frontline worker car discount company Motorfinity, has warned this still risked a “postcode lottery”. There is concern that some councils are likely to be quicker than others at approving works which could leave some EV owners plugging in at expensive public chargers for longer than they need.
He said: “Scrapping planning red tape is an overdue win for fair access to EV charging, making it easier for those wanting to make the switch from petrol to EV. That said, the bottleneck hasn't entirely vanished. The decision has shifted parking planning permission approval to local highway authorities, which could create a postcode lottery of enforcement.”
