As numbers of plug-in cars continue to rise, Scottish building regulations have been updated to require provision of electric vehicle charging. That requirement may supersede the need for planning permission conditions.
Plug-in cars
In February 2023, battery electric deliveries in the UK rose 18.2%, with all plug-in cars taking almost a quarter market share.
EV Charging
Our conversation with David Pickles, Jorro gives practical insights into installing EV charging.
Building (Scotland) Regulations
From 5 June 2023, the Building (Scotland) Regulations will require electric vehicle charging in new buildings and those subject to "major renovation". There are separate requirements for domestic and non-domestic buildings. Covered car parks are excluded. There is an installation cost cap. There are special provisions for accessible parking spaces.
Domestic buildings
For single dwellings, a minimum of one EV charge point socket should be provided adjacent to the parking space.
For flats, one socket per flat should be provided. For example, if there are 25 flats in a single building, with 35 parking spaces, sockets only need to be provided for 25 spaces.
Non-domestic buildings
For non-domestic buildings, the requirement is for at least 1 in 10 spaces to have access to a charge point socket.
This applies to non-domestic buildings with more than 10 car parking spaces, either new buildings or existing buildings undergoing major renovation.
Enabling infrastructure
If not every space has to be provided with a socket, there are requirements to provide enabling infrastructure.
Planning permission conditions
Scottish Government Circular 4/1998 states that planning powers should not be used to regulate matters more properly dealt with under other specific statutory powers. This change to building regulations may therefore supersede the need for planning permission conditions requiring provision of EV charging facilities.
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