The Department for Transport (DfT) has decided to take powers to issue directions to Local Transport Authorities to produce local electric vehicle (EV) charging strategies and ensure provision of chargepoints if they have not done so as part of Local Transport Plans.
But it decided not to take a similar approach for ensuring charge points are installed in non-residential car parks, believing that competition would bring forward new facilities.
A consultation found 94% of its 237 respondents supported a statutory obligation to be placed upon an organisation to plan for chargepoints and over 70% of respondents to this question thought that that body should be local authorities. DfT said it recognise concerns over resourcing and would provide £38 million capability investment as part of the Future of Transport Regulatory Review and “the supporting knowledge and tools to help them to work out their specific local challenges and plan accordingly”.
DfT said it was considering options for introducing a unified consent process for installing EV chargepoints, with a streamlined process for obtaining both the planning permission consent and the highways consent for the traffic management works at the same time.
Most respondents (81%) wanted DfT to seek powers to require a minimum level of EV charging infrastructure in non-residential car parks, but it said “We expect the market to continue to rollout the necessary car park charging infrastructure without government intervention through these powers”. Instead it said it would continue to monitor and evaluate the rollout of charging infrastructure in existing non-residential car parks. If installation rates do not progress at the required pace to support the 2035 phase out date, when parliamentary time allows, we will consider legislative powers to place minimum requirements for charging infrastructure provision on landowners of all types of non-residential car parks.
It said the fact that non-residential car parks are located on leased or rented land meant greater understanding of the impact that minimum requirement powers would have on lease agreements is required.. In the meantime, government has launched a review of the landlord and tenant relationship and legislation surrounding it.