Section 49 of the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 is now in force in England, following commencement regulations made on 12 March and effective from 13 March 2026. The provision enables installation and related works for public electric vehicle charge points to proceed under a permit issued by the local highway authority, rather than via individual section 50 street works licences. The statutory basis for the change sits in amendments to the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 made by section 49. (legislation.gov.uk)
Legally, section 49 amends section 48 of the 1991 Act to treat works executed in a street in England “in pursuance of a street works permit” to place, maintain, alter or remove apparatus that is a public charge point as street works. It inserts definitions for “public charge point” by reference to the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018, and for “street works permit” by reference to Traffic Management Act 2004 permit schemes. The prohibition on unauthorised street works is updated to reflect this route, and the Act clarifies that rights and duties relating to apparatus apply by virtue of the permit. (legislation.gov.uk)
The Department for Transport signalled this reform through its consultation on street works access for charge point operators, proposing to move from the section 50 licensing route to the permitting regime to speed deployment and standardise processes. The government’s published outcome confirmed the intent to legislate accordingly and to make any necessary consequential amendments to the permit scheme regulations. (gov.uk)
Operationally, promoters must apply through the Department for Transport’s Street Manager service, which is the mandated digital platform for planning and managing works under permit schemes. The consultation materials underline that the permitting route ensures consistent data capture and coordination across England, aligning charge point works with established utility practice. (gov.uk)
The policy case presented during Commons Committee included comparative timings and costs: permits typically take two to five days to approve and cost around £45–£130 for short-duration works, compared with variable and often slower section 50 licensing processes. This is expected to reduce delays and improve coordination with other works. (hansard.parliament.uk)
Safeguards and duties under the 1991 Act remain in place. Charge point works authorised by permit continue to be subject to reinstatement standards, guarantee periods of two or three years depending on depth, inspection sampling (with set inspection fees), and start/stop notices. Qualified operatives must be on site and qualified supervisors must oversee the works, as required by the street works qualifications regime. (gov.uk)
Highway authorities retain enforcement and charging tools available under permitting and related regulations. Breaches of permit conditions can attract offences, and where lane rental schemes are approved, daily charges may apply on designated streets during traffic‑sensitive periods. Authorities should integrate charge point permitting into existing coordination and lane rental arrangements. (gov.uk)
The reform applies to public charge points-defined in legislation as charge points provided for use by the general public. Workplace or private domestic equipment falls outside this definition and may continue to be managed through other statutory routes. Separately, the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 continue to set consumer‑facing standards for public networks and are unaffected by this commencement. (legislation.gov.uk)
Related planning and infrastructure provisions have been staged through earlier commencement regulations, with further elements (including annual reporting under section 91) timetabled by separate instruments. Practitioners should note that the England‑only extent for the new street works permit route is explicit in the primary legislation. (legislation.gov.uk)
Next steps for delivery bodies are straightforward: charge point operators should ensure promoter registration on Street Manager, confirm street works qualifications across contractors, and align internal processes to permit conditions. Highway authorities should update local guidance and communications so applicants transition cleanly from section 50 licensing to permitting for public charge point works. The Department for Transport’s consultation outcome anticipates consequential updates to secondary legislation and guidance to support implementation. (gov.uk)