Charging points needed on roads for all new housing developments

Housing developers could be required to install electric vehicle charging points on all roads of a new project.

UK transport minister John Hayes said he is willing to hold talks with the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) about a suggestion to change the planning rules.

Labour MP Helen Goodman floated the idea alongside calls to require charging points to be installed at railway stations and publicly-owned car parks.

Mr Hayes said: “I think that’s a very good point. I’ll happily have discussions with my colleagues in DCLG. There are issues about the inconsistent provision of on-street charging.

“That is partly due to planning and partly due to the fact that some local authorities are more willing to install charging points than others. That’s a discretionary matter for planners at the moment.

“It does seem to me to be entirely appropriate to consider some of the things you have suggested, so I’m more than happy to have those discussions.”

Ms Goodman, speaking in the Commons during the Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill second reading debate, said: “I bought a Nis- san Leaf last month and I was very struck by the fact that to haveyourownchargingpoint, you need off-street parking.

“That’s not possible for anyone that lives in a flat.”

Ms Goodman urged for planning rules to be changed to mirror policy in France.

Mr Hayes later said he expected automated vehicles to start appearing from the 2020s, making driving safer as well as saving people money on insurance premiums due to the reduced number of crashes.

Shadow transport minister Karl Turner said Labour would table amendments to the bill, but were “very broadly supportive” of it.