Planning permission rules for EV chargers in London
EV charging points for residential use in England are governed by Class K of Schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 (GPDO). A home EV charger is permitted development (no planning required) if: (1) it is installed on or within a dwelling; (2) it projects no more than 200mm from the wall surface; (3) it is within 2 metres of a highway (most London houses where the car is charged from the driveway or frontage meet this condition); (4) only one EV charge point is installed per property. Conditions that require planning permission: installing a charger post on a shared access road (permitted development does not apply to charging on the public highway); installing a charger on a block of flats or HMO (Class K applies to 'any part of a building' — interpretation varies, consult the LPA); installing a charger visible from the highway in a conservation area (Class K does not remove the requirement for LPA notification in Article 4 areas).
EV chargers in conservation areas and listed buildings
Conservation areas and listed buildings in London create additional planning considerations for EV chargers. Conservation areas: Class K permits EV chargers in conservation areas subject to the standard conditions. However, if the charger is on an elevation visible from a public highway, the LPA may issue an enforcement notice if the installation is considered harmful to the character of the conservation area. A charging point in a garage or rear car park (not visible from the street) is always acceptable. Recommend consulting the LPA informally before installation if the charger will be front-facing on a conservation area property. Listed buildings: drilling into the fabric of a listed building (Grade I, II*, or II) for an EV charger supply cable requires Listed Building Consent (LBC), even though the charger box itself may be permitted development. An LBC application for a minor alteration (small drill hole for cable access) is typically delegated and approved within 8 weeks. Internal cable routing (through a pre-existing conduit or cable duct) may not require LBC. Check with the conservation officer before installation.
OZEV grant and EV charger cost
The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant reduces the cost of a home EV charger installation. Current (2025) grant: 75% of equipment and installation cost, up to a maximum of £350. Eligibility: the vehicle must be an eligible plug-in electric vehicle on the DVLA list; the applicant must own or lease the eligible vehicle; the property must be a domestic dwelling (not a flat — a separate grant scheme applies for flats); the charger must be installed by an OZEV-authorised installer (listed on the OZEV website). Typical installed cost before grant: 7kW AC charger (Ohme Home Pro, Pod Point Solo 3, myenergi Zappi) — £1,000–£1,500 installed. After grant: £650–£1,150. Note: the Zappi charger (myenergi) integrates with solar PV and ASHP — when surplus solar generation is available, it diverts to charge the car preferentially, reducing the marginal cost of charging to near-zero. Popular for London properties with solar PV retrofit.
EV charger installation during a renovation or extension
A renovation or extension is the ideal time to install an EV charger supply circuit, even if no EV is currently owned. The circuit cost during first fix (40mm trunking from consumer unit, 7kW Type 2 circuit, 6mm2 twin-earth cable to the garage or parking position): £200–£400 during first fix. Retrofit after decoration: £400–£800 (surface trunking or invasive routing to the parking position). If the parking position is remote from the property (rear garden, rear lane, or offstreet parking via a dropped kerb), underground armoured cable (SWA, 6mm2) is required — cost £600–£1,500 depending on run length and trenching requirements. Consumer unit: a 7kW EV charger draws 32A on a dedicated circuit — confirm the existing consumer unit has a spare 32A MCB slot and sufficient meter capacity (100A main fuse is typically sufficient for a standard London house adding a 7kW charger; properties with electric heating or large ASHP may need to confirm load with the DNO). Smart EV chargers (Ohme, Zappi, Hypervolt) allow off-peak charging scheduled from the app, integrating with Octopus Go or similar EV tariffs (5–7.5p/kWh off-peak vs 25–35p/kWh standard rate).
