Class D – Car Charging Point

Class D allows for the installation, alteration or replacement, within an area lawfully used for off-street parking, of a car charging point. Or any other type of vehicle. for that matter. This is for small units often mounted on the side of a garage or wall. 

This permitted development right to install a car charging point applies to a home or a business. 

With electric vehicles becoming more common, the need to be able to charge these cars and vans from home or the office is important. Class D allows for that. As long as the area is lawful then you are free to install it. All this means is unless you are banned from having off street parking or have not followed the rules for hard standing then you can’t install a charging point. 

This is to allow the installation of a wall mounted charging point for electric vehicles. You can’t however install this on a listed building, within 2m of a highway if facing it, in a scheduled monument or if the unit is over 0.2 cubic metres in size. If it is no longer required, then Class D says that the unit must be removed and the surface made good.

Installation of a car charging point under Class D could be withdrawn via a restriction on the building usually through a previous planning application or via restrictions in a conservation area etc.

Of course, whether the power grid can support all these car charging points is another matter!

If you wish to install a larger car charging point as an upstand, then you need to check out Class E of Part 2.

Legislation

Class D – electrical outlet for recharging vehicles

Permitted development

D. The installation, alteration or replacement, within an area lawfully used for off-street parking, of an electrical outlet mounted on a wall for recharging electric vehicles.

Development not permitted

D.1 Development is not permitted by Class D if the outlet and its casing would—
       (a) exceed 0.2 cubic metres;
       (b) face onto and be within 2 metres of a highway;
       (c) be within a site designated as a scheduled monument; or
       (d) be within the curtilage of a listed building.

Conditions

D.2 Development is permitted by Class D subject to the conditions that when no longer needed as a charging point for electric vehicles—
       (a) the development is removed as soon as reasonably practicable; and
       (b) the wall on which the development was mounted or into which the development was set is, as soon as reasonably practicable, and so far as reasonably practicable, reinstated to its condition before that development was carried out.

Updated: 17th July 2023