The UK Government is cutting red tape surrounding the installation of public charging infrastructure, helping to significantly drop the cost of installations. With the recent introduction of the latest Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025, alongside modifications to the existing Traffic Management Permit Scheme (England) Regulations 2007, charge point operators will now be able to apply for a street works permit for charger installation, instead of the costlier and more time-consuming section 50 license that was previously required.
From these changes, the government estimate that admin-related installation costs for public chargers could drop from around the £1,000 mark to as little as £45, while installation wait times could drop to only a couple of days, down from months.
The UK recently passed 118,000 public chargers, and this new cutting of red tape has the potential to speed up growth of the UK’s charging network even further. It also comes as drivers continue to feel the pressure from rising oil prices. Around one in four new car buyers are now choosing to go electric, but sites such as Auto Trader are now showing a significant uptick in EV interest in light of the recently unpredictable fuel prices.
Heidi Alexander, Secretary of State for Transport, commented:
“Businesses are at the heart of the EV revolution, and we’re backing them every step of the way. These changes slash the cost of permits for businesses, lowering installation fees for public chargers from £1,000 to as little as £45, and cutting wait times from several months to just days.
We’re investing over £600 million to roll out hundreds of thousands more charge points, building on 118,000 already in place, and cutting the upfront cost for families of going electric with savings of up to £3,750 off a new EV. With global fuel price fluctuations, making the switch has never made more sense.”
