Cross-pavement home charging trial
The council does not currently have an adopted policy which enables residents to charge an electric vehicle (EV) from home when parked on the street. Highway regulations do not permit the trailing of a cable across the pavement which may put other highway users, including pedestrians, at risk.
The council will be undertaking a trial of cross-pavement channels in due course. These are shallow gulleys cut into the footway and a channel lining installed with a lid. An EV charging cable can then be run across the pavement through the channel to charge an EV parked on street, reducing trip hazard risks caused by trailing cables.
Information will be made available here once the trial is launched. This will include further information on eligibility criteria, how to apply, conditions which need to be met, costs, licence requirements and grants available.
Participants must be able to able to legally and safely park immediately outside of their home. Trailing a cable at the kerbside, if parked further away, will not be permitted. Participants will not be able to reserve a parking space on the public highway outside of their home.
Not all locations will be suitable for the trial or this type of solution.
Planning legislation regarding home EV chargepoint installations is changing, subject to certain conditions. This is following the introduction of a new Class F of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development)(England)(Amendment)(No.2) Order 2026.
From 21 October 2026, planning consent will not be required for the installation of a home EV charger if you are parking on-street and charging from your home energy supply. This will save residents over £300 in planning fees.
For the new ‘Class F’ permitted development rights to apply, the EV chargepoint must be installed as part of an approved local authority scheme for cross-pavement channels, whether the channel is installed by, on behalf of, or with the authorisation of, a highway authority. There are exceptions.
If an approved cross-pavement channel scheme is in place, you will still need to apply for planning consent if the proposal is:
(a) within a site designated as a scheduled monument
(b) within the curtilage of a listed building
(c) within a conservation area
The new regulations will benefit residents in North Northamptonshire once the trial for cross-pavement channels is launched by the council.
More information on current planning regulations and Building Control requirements can be found here Electric vehicle chargers - Electric vehicle charging - Planning Portal. The new planning regulations will be outlined here when they come into force on 21 October 2026.
Residents who do not have access to private off-street parking are advised not to install a home EV charger until the cross-pavement trial is launched and only if you have approval to participate in the trial.
In the meantime, to find EV chargepoints near you, please go to ZapMap.
To find out about new EV chargepoint sites in the pipeline, please view the interactive map at Connected Kerb.
You can share your ideas about where new public on-street chargepoints are needed by using the form below to suggest a public chargepoint site. Do not use this form to register an interest in a home EV charger or cross-pavement channel. Suggestions will be shared with Connected Kerb and considered if opportunities for additional on-street sites come forward.
Last updated 07 October 2026