EV Charging Infrastructure: 2026 Planning Requirements for New Developments

Approved Document S provides guidance for England. Confirm the applicable edition and transitional arrangements for the works. Scotland has a separate Standard 7.2, introduced from 5 June 2023; use the current Scottish technical handbook for the proposal.

The Welsh Government’s EV consultation page, updated 7 August 2026, still identifies the published Part S document as a draft consultation document. This review did not establish an operative Welsh Part S equivalent: the previous statement that it applied from 2024 has been removed. Check current Welsh requirements with building control. Check Northern Ireland’s separate rules for a project there.

The England Part S FAQs explain associated spaces and communal parking. The charge-point and cable-route calculation depends on the building and its associated spaces, not simply the total estate-wide bay count. A block of flats and a terrace of individual houses can be treated differently.

Prepare a schedule assigning spaces to buildings, including shared and visitor spaces. Identify covered parking and whether the works are new construction, material change of use or a major renovation. Apply the relevant section of the guidance rather than copying the new-dwelling rule to every case.

For new residential buildings in England, the £3,600 provision concerns the average additional electricity connection cost, not a blanket cap on buying and installing a charge point. It does not mean an expensive quote eliminates all provision. The number achievable within the applicable rule and any required cable routes still need to be established.

Other limitations depend on the building and work. Listed or historic status is not a universal exemption from every requirement. Keep the relevant provision and supporting evidence with the design record and agree the approach with building control.

Obtain a project-specific demand assessment and connection enquiry from the electrical engineer and network operator. Thirty 7 kW points have 210 kW of combined nominal output; that arithmetic is not the diversified demand or a confirmed supply capacity. Do not assume 50% diversity, a fixed connection price or a guaranteed reinforcement programme.

A managed system may limit simultaneous load, but its operating rules, performance, future expansion and failure response must be designed. Coordinate cabinets, ducts, meter locations, protection, fire considerations, drainage and service access. Keep equipment and trailing cables out of pedestrian routes and provide suitable accessible use.

Agree who owns the equipment, pays electricity costs, manages faults and authorises future additions. Include commissioning, user instructions and maintenance information in the handover.

Planning conditions and local transport policy may impose additional requirements, while product, electrical and building regulations address different matters. An Atlasly transport or planning summary can help organise the questions; it does not establish electrical capacity or certify the installation.