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Planning rules were today hacked back to encourage the spread of electric cars in London and other big cities.
Homeowners, councils and firms will no longer need permission to install electric charging points in driveways and car parking areas.
The aim is to encourage investment in a city-wide infrastructure of top-up points so that driving an electric vehicle will become a viable alternative to petrol and diesel-powered cars for millions more people.
Planning minister John Healey also slashed red tape around wind turbines so people can install them on their rooftops without council permission providing they follow anti-noise and safety rules.
"We take the basic services on our streets for granted, such as street lighting and phone boxes," said Mr Healey. "In the future, this will include electric-car charging points.
"To stand a chance of tackling climate change, we need nothing less than a national crusade with everyone able to play their part to offset carbon emissions."
Reader views (3)
It won't help a very large number of Londoners who have to park on the street. They need a scheme to compel councils to install charging points at the kerb-side, whenever someone notifies them that they now own an electric car. After all, we pay them for parking permits, and of course they'd be making a profit on the electricity!
- Nigel, London, 17/11/2009 14:42
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I still don't understand why these cars are being pushed by the government when we're all trying to decrease our use of electricity. Given the necessary increase in electricity use, are they really a good idea? And don't they render all those low-energy lightbulbs pointless?
- Suzanne, London, 17/11/2009 14:13
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There was a little publicised article in The Times last week where it was stated that people using electric cars were creating more CO2 than those using a petrol or diesel vehicle.
Until the electricity that charges these little roller skates is from a renewable source, then providing car-charging points is just making the problem worse.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one, 17/11/2009 13:51
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