The Government is cutting red tape on public charge point installations to lower costs and admin headaches for charge point operators.

The move take effect from tomorrow (Friday 10 April) and will see installation costs drop from as much as £1,000 to as little as £45. The changes will also reduce installation wait times from several months to just days, helping to expand a reliable charging network for drivers across England.

Announced last year, the arrival of the new landmark Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 and amendments to the Traffic Management Permit Scheme (England) Regulations 2007 means operators will no longer have to undertake lengthy applications for section 50 licences to install chargers, and instead will be able to apply for faster, cheaper street works permits.

Under the new system, operators will be able to apply for a street works permit through Street Manager – the digital service used by all highway authorities and utility companies in England.

The Government said the move will help operators save money and enable more people to transition to electric. The changes come on the back of last year’s announcement of £600m to roll out hundreds of thousands more chargers, building on the over 119,000 already available according to latest Zapmap figures. That’s nearly twice as many chargers as fuel pumps, as highlighted in the Department for Transport’s new Electric Road Trip campaign.

Already, one in four new cars sold are now electric, and there are more than 1.7m EVs on UK roads.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “Businesses are at the heart of the EV revolution, and we’re backing them every step of the way. These changes slash the cost of permits for businesses, lowering installation fees for public chargers from £1,000 to as little as £45, and cutting wait times from several months to just days.

“We’re investing over £600m to roll out hundreds of thousands more charge points, building on 118,000 already in place, and cutting the upfront cost for families of going electric with savings of up to £3,750 off a new EV. With global fuel price fluctuations, making the switch has never made more sense.”

ChargeUK, the business group for charge point operators, said streamlining the process for charge point operators to apply for street works was a very positive move, speeding up the deployment of the 100,000 on-street local charge points that the industry expects to install in the next two to three years.

But Jarrod Birch, head of policy and public affairs, added: “There remains a lot more for government to do if it wants to fully back the businesses at the heart of the EV revolution. Addressing the full cost burden for charge point operators, which is largely driven by energy and standing charges, is critical. Tackling surging standing charges, equalising VAT with home charging and committing to stable policy through a robust ZEV mandate are the highest priorities for the charging industry to invest even more quickly in infrastructure.”