The Welsh government has launched a consultation into EV chargepoints at both residential and non-residential buildings, with responses required by November 29.
The consultation seeks the public’s views on draft amendments to Building Regulations in Wales. These amendments will mandate the provision of EV changepoints in new residential, non-residential buildings and buildings undergoing major renovations, or material change in use, which have associated car parking.
The Welsh government is proposing that every new residential building with an associated car parking space (within the site boundary) has a chargepoint. It wants this requirement to also apply to buildings undergoing a material change of use to create a dwelling. And it wants every residential building undergoing major renovation, that has more than 10 car parking spaces, to have EV chargepoints fitted in every car parking space.
For every new non-residential building with more than 10 car parking spaces and every non-residential building undergoing a major renovation or material change of use with more than 10 car parking spaces, the Welsh government wants them to have one chargepoint and cable routes for an EV chargepoint for one in five spaces.
The Welsh government is not currently proposing a requirement for chargepoints in existing non-residential buildings that are not undergoing a major renovation or material change of use. However, it says that in future it will consider how the provision of chargepoints in existing non-residential premises can be encouraged allowing for a ‘tailored approach’ which considers the size of the car park in question and the size of the business that owns it.
The consultation includes proposed exemptions such as one that states that new residential buildings where the installation of chargepoints would increase grid connection costs by more than £3,600 per chargepoint would be exempt.
Following the consultation, the Welsh government will review the responses before responding formally. It will also produce an economic impact assessment based on the consultation responses before laying the Statutory Instrument in the Senedd.
