The UK Department for Transport has published a report titled "Amending the building regulations: electric vehicle charging infrastructure", issued on 20 October 2026, that opens a formal consultation on proposals to support the installation of electric vehicle charge points in England.
The document, released by the Department for Transport, seeks views on proposed changes to building regulations intended to make it easier to fit electric vehicle charge points in new and existing developments. The consultation invites responses from industry, local authorities and members of the public on the measures set out in the report.
What the consultation covers
At its centre the report frames the proposed amendments as measures to support the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure within the regulatory framework that governs building works. The Department asks consultees to consider how the proposed regulatory amendments would operate in practice and to provide evidence and views that could inform the final policy decisions.
The report does not itself enact changes but starts a process by which the Department for Transport will gather feedback before deciding whether and how to revise the building regulations. Interested parties are therefore being given an opportunity to influence the detail of any future regulatory change.
Who is being asked to respond
Responses are sought from a broad set of stakeholders, including those working in construction and property, companies involved in electric vehicle charging equipment and installation, local planning and enforcement bodies, and members of the public affected by building regulation changes. The Department for Transport sets out the questions it believes are relevant to assessing the likely operation and impact of any new or amended requirements.
The consultation framework signals that the Department wishes to test practical implementation issues alongside policy aims. The report requests evidence on the costs, benefits and administrative arrangements that would accompany any change to the building regulations and invites comment on whether the proposals strike an appropriate balance between ambition and practicability.
The timing and next steps
The report itself was published on 20 October 2026 and constitutes the opening of the government consultation process on this subject. The Department for Transport will consider the responses received before taking decisions about whether to proceed with amendments to the building regulations and, if so, the form those amendments should take.
Any subsequent proposals that progress from the consultation would be subject to the established domestic process for changing building regulations, including further technical and legal consideration by the responsible departments. The current report is therefore a first and necessary stage in that process.
What this means for industry and the public
For businesses involved in construction, property management and the electric vehicle charging sector the consultation offers an early opportunity to influence regulatory design. For householders and developers the consultation provides a chance to raise practical concerns about how any new requirements would be applied to new builds or to alterations to existing buildings.
The Department for Transport’s report positions the consultation as a means to gather the evidence the government will need to judge the potential effects of regulatory change on installation rates and on the costs and duties placed on building owners and managers.
Stakeholders seeking to respond should consult the Department for Transport’s published report for the specific questions and the mechanism for submitting views. The report’s publication marks the beginning of the formal engagement that will determine whether and how building regulations in England will be amended to support electric vehicle charge point installation.
Editor profile