Planning to charge at home...?
Planning permission
In most cases you won't need any, as they are 'permitted developments'. You might need planning permission if the chargepoint will be:
- near a road or listed building
- a wall-mounted unit bigger than 0.2 cubic metres
- a ground mounted unit over 1.6m tall.
Who you need to inform
Once you have chosen a certified installer, ask them to:
- notify your electricity 'distribution network operator' (DNO)
- confirm the installation complies with building regulations and provide a Building Regulations Completion Certificate.
You don't need to notify the highways authority.
GOV.UK offers more advice on registering an electric vehicle chargepoint.
Cables across pavements (including covered/recessed cables)
You cannot run private charging cables across public roads, pavements and paths:
- They would create an obstruction and trip hazard for others using the pavement. We need to keep them safe and accessible for everyone.
- They would also breach electrical safety standards and are unlikely to be covered by public liability insurance.
We also don't currently permit cable covers or recessed cable gullies due to liability and maintenance issues, although we are monitoring trials taking place in other areas.
If you see incidences of this, please report to Countywide.LicenceandEnforcement@hertfordshire.gov.uk.
Visit the Electric Vehicle Consumer Code to find out more about:
- benefits of home chargepoints
- planning permission and requirements for home chargepoints
- finding a certified installer and questions you should ask them
- choosing a chargepoint
- standard 3-pin wall sockets vs. dedicated EV chargepoints
- steps for getting a chargepoint installed on your driveway
- how much home charging costs and how long it takes.
WWF explains how to charge with renewable energy.
Our strategy
The government is giving us £6,735,000 from the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund (LEVI) for the roll-out of public charging infrastructure. Our strategy outlines how we plan to use it:
Electric vehicle charging strategy (PDF 1.82mb)
Summary of the electric vehicle charging strategy (PDF 1.16mb)
Developed with district and borough councils. We aim to work together to deliver a more comprehensive, accessible and efficient EV charging network across Hertfordshire. If you need these documents in a different format, please contact us.
We've planned a hierarchy of charging options:
- Off-street charging hubs in council-owned car parks. Open to all and near town centres, so you can shop while you wait. Potential for overnight charging for nearby residents
- Off-street charging hubs on publicly owned land.
We're reviewing locations near residential areas and main roads, where there's a lack of current chargepoints and potentially high demand.
- On-street chargepoints. Where off-street options aren't possible or can't meet demand.
Timeline for roll-out
- The government has approved our funding application. They will give us 90% of our funding and we can begin looking for a contractor.
- We must submit our draft contract to the government for review and approval by September 2024.
- Once the government approves our draft contract, we can sign the contract and the government will give us the final 10% of our funding.
Our vision statement
The agreed draft vision statement for Hertfordshire’s EV charging network is:
To enable residents and businesses across Hertfordshire to recharge their vehicles conveniently, and appropriately. This will facilitate the conversion of vehicles to meet Hertfordshire’s climate and air quality commitments and prepare drivers for the phase out of new petrol and diesel cars and vans in 2030 when around 30% of the fleet is expected to be electric.
On-street charging points
We recognise that there's appetite from residents for on-street chargepoints near their homes, but there are more challenges to providing on street chargepoints so we have to carefully consider their locations. We are currently working with district and borough councils to:
- identify locations where on-street charging may be appropriate
- develop a process and set of rules to support installing chargers in these locations.
We can't provide on-street chargepoints for individuals.