Last week, the Government announced that new homes and commercial buildings, as well as those undergoing major renovation, will be required to install electric vehicle (EV) charge points from next year. Emily Halley, property associate, B P Collins explains the new regulations.
The Government is set to implement regulations later this year which will require:
- New homes with on-site parking to have an EV charge point.
- New commercial buildings with over ten on-site parking spaces to have at least one charge point and cable routes for one in five spaces.
- Residential buildings undergoing major renovation that will have over ten on-site parking spaces after renovation to have at least one charge point for each dwelling with associated parking and cable routes in all spaces without charge points.
- Commercial buildings undergoing major renovation that will have over ten on-site parking spaces after renovation to have at least one charge point and cable routes for one in five spaces.
It is not clear what will constitute ‘major renovation’, one example given by the Government’s consultation response is renovation of over 25% of a building’s surface area, including parking areas. Various exemptions to the requirements are proposed.
The measures are expected to result in up to 145,000 extra charge points being installed across England each year.
Industry concerns about new regulations
Whilst many view boosting charging availability through planning and building control for new and renovated homes and commercial buildings as a logical step, some in the building industry have expressed concerns. The National Federation of Builders (NFB) says that to achieve planning permission, builders will have to fund substations so that electricity companies can provide enough load to new and old developments. These costs can be considerable, and it is neither the builder, nor homeowner who profits from the infrastructure. Instead, it is the electricity companies “achieving revenue in perpetuity from someone else’s investment”, says Richard Beresford, the chief executive of the NFB.
There are also concerns that the type of charger being installed will not meet future grid or EV charging standards. The NFB has been telling the Government that it needs to standardise EV charging infrastructure and grid strategy before mandating a solution that will require mass retrofitting.
It is clear that property deals allowing the installation and use of EV charge points are going to be more frequently encountered, and these transactions will often present unique challenges that require bespoke solutions. For further advice please contact our property team on enquiries@bpcollins.co.uk or call 01753889995.
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