Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 20
20
Accepted
Planning processes remain a bottleneck for charge point installation, increasing costs and delays
Conclusion
Similarly, many planning processes were not designed with charge point operators in mind, causing unnecessary additional cost and time. The Department explained that it had recently announced a series of changes to ease planning barriers and make it easier to install a charge point, such as greater permitted development rights, and streamlining the consents needed to install charge points on public highways.36 However, there remain bottlenecks; for example, dedicating parking bays for electric vehicles requires a Traffic Regulation Order which can take a number of weeks to carry out. The Department replied that it is currently testing a digital system to speed up the application time to a couple weeks. When challenged on why it could take until 2026 to implement changes from a review to assess whether Traffic Regulation Orders were needed at all, the Department stated that removing these orders might take choices away from local authorities to decide on the mix of parking they need. However, the same argument could have been made in advance of changes to permitted development in the planning system. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is also intending to consult on process changes for securing access to third party land for energy infrastructure upgrades.37
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and states the recommendation is implemented, committing to digitalising Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) and requiring all authorities to submit digital copies to a central platform, with this requirement coming into force later in 2025 to reduce application times.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendations. Recommendation implemented 6.2 The government’s vision is that all drivers can charge conveniently for both daily and long-distance driving and that there is a compelling, and visible, charging offer for prospective electric vehicle (EV) purchasers. 6.3 As set out in the report, the UK is on track to meeting a projected need of 300,000 public charging devices by 2030. The clarity on the transition to EVs has catalysed over £6 billion of private sector investment in UK charging infrastructure. The publication on 7 April 2025 of the response to the consultation on phasing out sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 and supporting the ZEV transition shows the government has worked with the industry to both strengthen its commitment to the phase out and introduce practical reforms to support industry to meet this ambition. 6.4 Going forward there is a key role for government to address challenges ahead by further: simplifying chargepoint installation, ensuring nationwide chargepoint distribution and strong rapid chargepoint coverage and maintaining an accessible public charging experience. 6.5 Traffic regulation orders (TRO) can enforce and designate EV only, on-street parking bays. The department is digitalising TROs and will require all authorities that use them to send digital copies to a central publication platform that the department is building. This will reduce the time it takes for authorities to make TROs. The digital publication service (D-TRO) has been built and is available for voluntary use and testing. The requirement should come into force later in 2025. 6.6 The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) is a joint unit between the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). The department already works closely with DESNZ to ensure the improved rollout of chargepoints in all market areas. Within DfT, OZEV sits in the Road Transport Group, enabling OZEV to work closely with colleagues to encourage the installation of chargepoints on major road schemes.