Government pledges to support drivers without private driveways

Lib Dem’s Baroness Pidgeon secures two key concessions on Planning and Infrastructure Bill

The government has promised new action in aid of prevents electric vehicle owners without off-street parking being able to charge their vehicles up at home, following a debate in the House of Lords.

On 22 October transport spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, Baroness Pidgeon, raised the issue at the debate on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. She urged ministers to make EV charging infrastructure more affordable and fairer for households that lacked off-street parking, noting that installing cross-pavement charging channels can cost the resident around £3,000 and take over a year for approval. Also, public charging points that can cost up to 10 times more than home solutions.

Baroness Pidgeon’s proposed amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill sought to remove barriers preventing the estimated 40% of UK households without off-street parking from accessing affordable home charging, by helping them access cross-pavement solutions.

Currently, these households must rely on public chargepoints, which can cost up to ten times more than charging at home, creating an effective two-tier system that risks locking millions of drivers out of the transition to electric vehicles (EVs).

Speaking in the Lords, Baroness Pidgeon said: “Up to 40% of UK households do not have access to off-street parking. They therefore rely on public chargepoints, which can cost up to 10 times more than charging at home. This amendment would help to democratise access to electric vehicles and reduce inequalities.”

She also highlighted that installing simple cross-pavement charging channels, which allow a home charger cable to run safely under the pavement, can cost the resident around £3,000 and take over a year for approval.

“We need to make it as simple and easy to access in the rest of the country as it now is in Northern Ireland,” she added, noting that residents there can already apply online for these channels, reducing typical charging costs from £25 at a public chargepoint to just £3 at home.

As a direct result of Baroness Pidgeon’s efforts, the government made two concessions, offering:

• A formal consultation on extending permitted development rights for home charging, to be followed by secondary legislation “as soon as possible.”
• A commitment to write to all local authorities, urging them to use their own highways contractors to support the installation of cross-pavement charging solutions – a practical measure to help reduce licensing delays and costs for residents.

Responding on behalf of the government, minister Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill said: “The government have listened to the concerns raised by noble Lords on this matter and further support the aim that the noble Baroness intends with this amendment.”

Responding to the government’s new commitments, Baroness Pidgeon said: “Finding ways to make it easier for people who do not have driveways to move to electric vehicles is so important for our green transition. I welcome the Minister’s commitment to consult on permitted developments, followed by secondary legislation as soon as possible, and to write to all local authorities to speed up cross-pavement installations.”

Baroness Pigeon was supported by EVA England and its partners New Automotive, the Renewable Energy Association (REA) and Kerbocharge in pressing ministers to make charging an electric vehicle fairer and more affordable for households without driveways.

Vicky Edmonds, chief executive of EVA England, said: “Drivers without access to private driveways should not be barred from going electric. Yet in reality this is what is happening. Evidence shows that drivers relying solely on the public network are finding EVs much more expensive and are less likely to make the switch.

“EVA England welcomes the progress made on this important issue, and we thank Baroness Pidgeon for her dedicated efforts. These steps are a positive move towards making EV ownership fairer for all.”