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No driveway? Can I charge an EV at home?
Often yes, from 21 October 2026. New planning rules in England (SI 2026/1056) let many homes without a driveway fit a wall charger on a front garden or front wall without a planning application, as long as the cable crosses the pavement through a channel your council has authorised. Conservation areas, listed buildings, and landlord or freeholder consent are the main catches. Answer up to four questions to find your route.
Last checked: 16 October 2026 against the legislation. A guide, not legal advice: your planning and highway authorities decide.
Every route at a glance
You have off-street parking: the usual home charger route applies
In England a wall charger or charging post in an area lawfully used for off-street parking is usually permitted development, so no planning application is needed, within size limits and away from listed buildings and scheduled monuments. If you rent or own a flat, you may get up to £500 from the renters and flat owners grant.
- A wall charger and its casing must be no bigger than 0.2 cubic metres; a charging post no more than 1.6 metres high, one per parking space.
- You still need your landlord’s or freeholder’s permission if you rent or live in a flat.
Read next: Planning permission guide · Grant checker · EV charging cost calculator
Source: GPDO 2015, Schedule 2 Part 2, Class D – electrical outlet for recharging vehicles (legislation.gov.uk); GPDO 2015, Schedule 2 Part 2, Class E – electrical upstand for recharging vehicles (legislation.gov.uk); GOV.UK – Chargepoint grant for renters or flat owners: eligibility
Likely yes: the new 21 October 2026 permitted development route
From 21 October 2026 (SI 2026/1056), permitted development rights in England also cover a wall charger elsewhere on the land around a house or block of flats, such as a small front garden or the front wall of a terraced house, as long as the cable crosses the pavement through a cross-pavement channel installed or authorised by the highway authority. You can also claim 75% of the cost, up to £500, from the on-street parking grant if you only have on-street parking.
- The charger can be no more than 1.6 metres above ground, with one charger per house or block of flats.
- If the wall is next to the road, the charger must not stick out more than 0.2 metres and at least 1.5 metres of pavement must stay clear.
- Planning is only one permission: you still need your highway authority’s agreement for anything in or across the pavement. Cable mats or covers laid over the pavement do not qualify for the grant.
Read next: News: the 21 October planning rules · Charging on a terraced street · Grant checker
Source: The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2026 (SI 2026/1056, in force 21 Oct 2026); GOV.UK Find a grant – Households with on-street parking
Possibly, but you need your landlord’s or freeholder’s consent first
The new 21 October 2026 planning route can apply to a house or block of flats, but planning does not replace the owner’s permission. If you rent, or own a flat in a block, get written consent from your landlord or freeholder before you book an installer, plus your highway authority’s agreement for the cross-pavement channel. Renters and flat owners with only on-street parking can apply for the on-street parking grant (75% of the cost, up to £500).
- Only one charger is allowed per house or block of flats under the new route, so in a block the freeholder will need to decide who gets it.
- Landlords can also install chargers themselves with the landlord chargepoint grant of up to £500 per socket.
Read next: News: the 21 October planning rules · Landlord grant · Renters and flat owners grant
Source: The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2026 (SI 2026/1056, in force 21 Oct 2026); GOV.UK Find a grant – Households with on-street parking; GOV.UK – Changes to EV chargepoint grant schemes from 1 April 2026
Ask your highway authority first: the new route needs an authorised channel
The 21 October 2026 permitted development route only works where the cable crosses the pavement through a channel installed or authorised by the highway authority. If your council does not run or authorise one yet, ask it directly, and ask about its public on-street charging plans. Running a cable loose across the pavement is not allowed under the new route and does not qualify for the grant.
Your highway authority is the county council in most of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire, and the city council in Derby, Nottingham, Leicester and Stoke-on-Trent.
The government said in February 2026 that a £25 million scheme, accessed through local councils, supports cross-pavement channels on top of the chargepoint grant.
Read next: News: the 21 October planning rules · Home charging with no driveway · Public chargers per head in your area
Source: The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2026 (SI 2026/1056, in force 21 Oct 2026); GOV.UK news, 25 Feb 2026 – Grant boost to cover almost half the cost of installing EV chargers
Not under the new route: you will probably need a planning application
The new 21 October 2026 permitted development route for chargers away from off-street parking does not apply in conservation areas, and none of the charger or channel rights apply at listed buildings or scheduled monuments. Ask your local planning authority about a planning application (and listed building consent if relevant).
If you do have off-street parking, the long-standing permitted development rights for chargers still apply in a conservation area, but not at a listed building.
Read next: Planning permission guide · News: the 21 October planning rules
Source: The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2026 (SI 2026/1056, in force 21 Oct 2026); GPDO 2015, Schedule 2 Part 2, Class D – electrical outlet for recharging vehicles (legislation.gov.uk)
Home charging is unlikely: public on-street and local hub chargers are your main option
The new rights need the charger to be on the land around your house or block of flats, so if your front door opens straight onto the pavement and your wall cannot take a charger within the limits, public chargers are the practical route. Slower public chargers averaged 54p per kWh and rapid chargers 79p per kWh in September 2026 (Zapmap), so ask your council about cheaper on-street chargers near you.
Your highway authority is the county council in most of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire, and the city council in Derby, Nottingham, Leicester and Stoke-on-Trent.
Read next: East Midlands EV Charging Index · Cost calculator · No-driveway guide
Source: The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2026 (SI 2026/1056, in force 21 Oct 2026); Zapmap – UK EV Charging Price Index (September 2026 data, updated 7 October 2026)
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