Councils must handle enforcement when developers omit required EV ducting, Dáil told

Local planning authorities are responsible for enforcement when developers fail to install required electric vehicle charging infrastructure, Minister of State Kieran O'Donnell has told the Dáil.

Speaking on behalf of Minister for Housing James Browne during a Topical Issue debate, O'Donnell addressed concerns raised by Sinn Féin TD Louise O'Reilly regarding residents in multi-unit developments who found their designated communal parking spaces lacked electric vehicle (EV) charging conduits.

O'Reilly highlighted an estate where planning permission was granted subject to a requirement that every parking space have ducting installed to facilitate EV charging. Upon occupation, homeowners discovered the ducting had not been installed, while underground utility cables complicated retrofitting. O'Reilly also raised scenarios where residents in partially taken-in-charge estates cannot charge vehicles because local authorities offer no mechanism allowing cables to cross public footpaths.

In response, O'Donnell noted that planning permissions may specify parking layouts and charging provisions. Where non-compliance with planning permission conditions is reported, it is the statutory role of the relevant local planning authority to consider enforcement action.

O'Donnell also outlined statutory building standards under the Building Regulations (Part L Amendment) Regulations 2022 (SI 535/2022), which took effect for works or major renovations commencing on or after 1 November 2022. Under these regulations, multi-unit buildings containing dwellings must install ducting infrastructure—comprising conduits for electrical cables—for each car parking space located inside or within the building's curtilage. Non-residential requirements remain governed by SI 393/2021.