Starting Wednesday, drivers in England without off-street parking will no longer need planning permission to install cross-pavement gullies for electric vehicle charging, a regulatory change intended to reduce costs and barriers to EV adoption. The gullies are narrow steel channels embedded in pavements that allow charging cables to run from a home’s electrical supply to vehicles parked on the street, enabling significantly cheaper charging compared to public chargers.
The law change eliminates a step that previously required planning permission applications, saving drivers between £300 and £500. Installation costs vary considerably across local authorities, ranging from approximately £250 to over £1,200 before government grants are applied. Some councils are distributing £25 million in government funding through different approaches, with some offering half-price installations to early adopters while others provide free gullies until funds are exhausted. Additional annual maintenance fees also vary by locality, ranging from £107 to £185 per year in some London boroughs. Approximately 9.3 million English households lack off-street parking, and supporters note that one in three homes nationwide do not have driveways.
Despite the regulatory change, more than 20 local authorities have declined to allow gully installations, citing concerns about safety, accessibility, maintenance responsibilities, and liability issues. Most holdouts are located in London, including councils such as Ealing, Waltham Forest, and Hackney. These authorities argue that gullies may create trip hazards and accessibility problems for elderly residents, people with mobility impairments, and those with visual disabilities. Residents in conservation areas must still apply for permission regardless of local authority policy. The inconsistency between neighboring councils has created frustration among EV drivers who cannot access the charging infrastructure in their areas.
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