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Electric vehicle cable channel (EVCC) trial

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Cambridgeshire County Council is developing its trial to offer electric vehicle cable channels (EVCC).

These channels help people who don’t have a driveway to charge their electric vehicle (EV) at home. The cable goes inside a small channel in the pavement, so it is safe and tidy.

Loose cables across the pavement are not allowed because they can make people trip. Cable covers are also not allowed to be used in Cambridgeshire. That is why we are testing EV cable channels. They let you put the cable inside the pavement, so it is secure.

At this stage only people in the trial can use these channels. You will need to be accepted by the approved supplier and will need a licence from the Council to use one.

A cable channel will not be suitable for all homes without driveways. Please carefully read the information below before deciding whether you would like to apply to be part of the trial.

EV cable channels

An EV cable channel is a piece of equipment that is fitted into the pavement outside your home. It holds your charging cable safely from your house to your car.

The EV cable channel has a lid that must be lifted to insert the cable and closes flat when the cable is inside. You must remove the cable and close the lid after charging so no one trips.

Trial approach

This is a new idea, so we are testing it first. There are many issues and challenges a local highway authority must consider before allowing the use of cross-pavement solutions on the public highway. Central government issued guidance to support local authorities which has been considered in the planning of the trial.

The trial will run in two phases. Moving from phase 1 to phase 2 will depend on demand and if issues arise.

  • Phase 1: 50 EV cable channels (10 channels per district).
  • Phase 2: 200 EV cable channels (40 channels per district).

Trial places will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis for both phases. They will be shared equally across all districts, dependent on demand. It is possible where demand is higher than the number of spaces available, residents will need to wait until the next phase launches, or until a decision is made whether to roll-out the offer more widely in the future.

We will monitor the outcome of the trial. We will consider:

  • If there is demand for this product and whether residents have a positive experience across the stages of the process.

  • If the cost is affordable for residents, and if this is a financially sustainable process for the Council to run in the long term.
  • If the product causes any highways maintenance or utility issues.
  • If the product causes issues or harm to people using the road and whether any complaints or concerns are raised which cannot be resolved.

If it is decided that the trial is unsuccessful and that existing EV cable channels should be removed, the residents will not be reimbursed for their costs or loss.

Trial participation

An EV cable channel will not be the right solution for everyone, and it will not be suitable for every property.

To decide if this trial is right for you, you must have the following:

Trial requirements:

  • Own or are looking to buy/lease an EV.

  • Own the property or have permission from the property owner to install an EV charger at the property.
  • Not have access to off-road parking.
  • The pavement to be crossed must be public highway and not privately owned. To check, please visit https://maps.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/ and select 'adopted roads' from the menu on the left-hand side under the Transport and Street Menu and search by your postcode.

  • The property must sit back from the footway, so the EV charger or the cable does not overhang the footway or highway. If your property bounds the footway with no alcove or recess to house the chargepoint and cable, you will likely not be eligible.

  • Agree to have a professionally installed EV charger that meets minimum safety standards. See government guidance on EV chargepoint and infrastructure specifications and in particular the specifications for households with on-street parking. The applicant must check if planning permission is needed to install the EV charger. 

  • Have access to a parking space outside your house on a frequent basis dependent on your charging need. No parking space will be allocated for your use. If you cannot regularly park outside your home, this may not be the right solution for you.
  • Agree to sign a Section 178 licence agreement. This sets out that you will indemnify the Council against any claims relating to your use of the EV cable channel. You must have insurance through your motor and/or home insurance policy that covers all liabilities to ‘third parties’ (other people) in case of an incident caused by you using your home EV charger and charging cable on the highway (minimum £5 million for any one claim).
  • Agree to provide your feedback on your experience of the process to the Council throughout the trial.

For additional information please read the frequently asked questions. If you are unable to find the answer on this webpage, email electricvehicles@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Your application will be checked to see if there is any clear reason you will not be allowed an EV cable channel. A detailed survey will take place to ensure your property is a suitable location for an EV chargepoint and EV cable channel. After this detailed assessment, a decision will be made on your application.

If approved, this will be on the condition that you get planning permission for an EV chargepoint, approval of all licences and evidence you have appropriate insurance cover.

Applying for the trial

The trial has not yet launched. If you would like to register your interest, please email electricvehicles@cambridgeshire.gov.uk and you will be notified when the trial is launched.

Reasons for refusal

There are some site features which will likely mean an application will be refused. These include:

  • Where there is a parking restriction (e.g. double or single yellow lines, bus stops, cycle lane, taxi ranks, zig-zag lines etc.)
  • Where parking would not be safe or compliant with the Highway Code (i.e. opposite or within 15m of a junction unless in a marked parking bay, poor visibility).
  • Where there is any electrical street furniture, or another resident using an EV cable channel, which could be within 2.5m of your charging vehicle. This may mean that neighbouring properties cannot each have an EV cable channel installed.
  • Where there is a highway verge.
  • Where there is any obstruction on the footway where you would like an EV cable channel to be installed. This may include items such as a pedestrian barriers, trees, or cycle parking.
  • Where the surface of the pavement (footway) is less than 70mm higher than the surface of the road (carriageway). This is to ensure that water drains away from the channel.

Costs and funding support

An average cost of an EV cable channel is approximately £1,000. However, there are extra costs involved, please see table below:

Item Cost Paid to
S178 licence agreement £190 Cambridgeshire County Council
S171 licence agreement £295 Cambridgeshire County Council
Supply and installation of EV cable channel approx. £1,000 Approved EV channel supplier
Planning permission for EV chargepoint (if required) £262 Local planning authority
Supply and installation of an EV chargepoint approx. £1,000-£1,500 EV chargepoint supplier
Approximate total cost £2500-£3,000  

To reduce the setup cost of home charging for residents without off-road parking, there are grants available.

Government grant towards an EV chargepoint

From April 2026, you can apply for a central government grant up to £500 towards the cost of the purchase and installation of an EV chargepoint at a residential property until 31 March 2027. Details are available at Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant for Households with On-Street Parking (GOV.UK).

Charging channel frequently asked questions

Read our charging channel frequently asked questions to find out more on trial permissions and suitability. If you are unable to find the answer on this webpage, please email electricvehicles@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

General

The council does not permit the trailing of cables across the footway with or without a cable protector. This is stated under Section 178 of the Highways Act 1980, as follows:

Restriction on placing rails, beams etc. over highways:

“No person shall fix or place any overhead beam, rail, pipe, cable, wire or other similar apparatus over, along or across a highway without the consent of the highway authority for the highway, and the highway authority may attach to their consent such reasonable terms and conditions as they think fit.”

A power cable trailing across a footway is a potential trip hazard for pedestrians, especially for those who are visually impaired, disabled or with restricted mobility. If someone tripped and injured themselves, you could be prosecuted and there may be a liability under civil law.

It is important to consider public safety and existing legislation when placing the cable from the power supply in your home to your vehicle. Any legal liability arising from the placement of the cable is your responsibility.

This is one solution being explored to understand if it works for residents and helps people charge their EV from home.

Currently, around 30% of the UK do not have access to off-street parking so charging at home is currently not possible.

We require feedback from participants on their experiences to help us understand the pros and cons of the product.

The trial

Please read the information on the trial approach in the page content above.

The Council has undertaken a supplier approval approach to the EVCC trial. Suppliers who meet the set specification criteria for a cable channel is approved as part of the trial. This will be reviewed as the trial progresses, and we will consider if the specification needs to be reviewed for any future phases or beyond the trial stage.

The trial will be evaluated once the full 250 installations are completed, or at an earlier stage if appropriate. At this stage, a recommendation will be taken to the Council Highways and Transport Committee for a decision whether to roll out the offer on a business-as-usual basis, or not, dependent on trial outcomes.

The channel is installed into the footway by an approved highways contractor for use by the homeowner who has made the application.

The cable is inserted into the channel when charging is needed and must be removed when charging is complete.

The channels are designed to sit flush with the pavement surface. This reduces the risk of people tripping or hinder people using wheelchairs, other mobility aids, and prams.

They are also covered with anti-slip material.

There are many factors to consider in deciding whether a cable channel will be suitable for your charging needs. Also, it may not be possible to install a channel at your property. Please consider all the eligibility requirements listed on this webpage above.

All applications to the supplier will undergo assessment and a decision will be made if your property is suitable or not.

No parking space outside your home will be provided as part of the installation of the cable channel. Parking on the highway cannot be reserved.

You must be certain you are able to park outside your home on a regular basis, dependent on your charging needs, before applying for an EV cable channel. If parking in your area is so busy that you cannot park outside your house at least once per week, then a home EV cable channel is probably not the best solution.

Vehicles should be parked close to the property. Where a vehicle cannot be parked directly outside the property, the cable should be run along the kerbside. The maximum distance allowed to run a cable from the channel is 10 metres (approximately 2 car lengths).

The cable should never cross the road. Your vehicle should always be parked on the same side of the road as your property. Any vehicle parked on the highway should always follow local parking restrictions and should not obstruct the footway. 

This trial is part of a range of EV charging solutions that we are putting in place across Cambridgeshire. It will not be a suitable solution for all EV users or all properties.

The Council is also increasing the number of public chargepoints in the county. If this solution is not suitable to you or your home, you can enquire whether a public on-street chargepoint could be installed close to your property by emailing electricvehicles@cambridgeshire.gov.uk  with your location details. We can assess the location for a possible public charging point to be installed.

Another solution is for households with off-street parking to share their home charger with other users via a community charging service.

More information on alternative solutions can be found on our page, electric vehicle charging.

S178 of the Highways Act 1980 ‘Restriction on placing rails, beams etc. over highways’, states:

No person shall fix or place any overhead beam, rail, pipe, cable, wire or other similar apparatus over, along or across a highway without the consent of the highway authority for the highway, and the highway authority may attach to their consent such reasonable terms and conditions as they think fit.

Therefore, a S178 licence must be applied for by the resident to legally permit a cable to cross the public highway via a cable channel. There are conditions set out in the licence agreement that must be agreed to.

No, the Council will not supply a wall-mounted charging unit. You are responsible for organising this.

You must have a professionally installed EV charger that has an in-built protective earth neutral (PEN) fault device.

Please note planning permission is likely to be required before a chargepoint can be installed for on-street charging. Find out more in the next section 'Do I need planning permission?'

You must check if planning permission is needed to install your EV chargepoint. It is likely you will need to make a planning application for an EV chargepoint if you do not have off-street parking, as Permitted Development may not apply.

The following links have further information:

Please note, government are currently consulting on changes to permitted development rights for EV chargepoints that may mean that planning permission will not be needed. We will update the website if any changes are made. Until then, you must contact your local planning authority.

You will not require Planning Permission for the EV cable channel. A Section 171 licence is needed to permit the works on public highway to install the channel. This will be applied for by the cable channel supplier.

If the pavement is privately owned you do not need to apply to the Council for an EV cable channel. You will need to contact the landowner and seek permission to install.

We are only looking at on-street parking for this pilot scheme.

Where flats have allocated parking areas away from the public highway, this will not be a suitable solution. In such cases, we recommend residents request their management company makes arrangements for EV chargepoints to be installed.

You must give the Council a minimum of 4 weeks’ notice that you are moving.

We will write to the new owner of the property who must agree to the S178 licence agreement to be legally allowed to use the EV pavement channel. Failure to do so could result in the channel being removed.

Please note you will not receive a refund if you move house.

Issues

You will be responsible for regularly clearing out the channel and removing any leaves or dirt.

You are responsible for ensuring the unit is correctly operated and your cable is correctly inserted.

The channel becomes a highway asset when it is installed. The County Council is responsible for the long-term maintenance of the channel. If the channel becomes damaged or broken it is your responsibility to let us know as soon as possible, please email electricvehicles@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

If there is an immediate safety issue, report the issue/defect by phone on 0345 045 5212 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday) or the Police on 101 (outside of these hours).

If you notice an EV cable channel being trailed across a pavement, or an issue with an EV cable channel, please report it by emailing electricvehicles@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

If there is an immediate safety issue, please report the issue/defect by phone on 0345 045 5212 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday) or the Police on 101 (outside of these hours).

Most charging cables are long enough to reach either one space up or one space down from directly outside your house. Residents will need to wait until a space becomes free and then move their car. You have no right to reserve the space outside your home for your EV or demand the space becomes free for your use.  

The Council will not be responsible for any parking issues that limits or prevents the use of the EV cable channel. It does not have any responsibility for resolving any issues that occur. The channel must be used in accordance with the s178 licence agreement at all times. Failure to comply may result in the licence being withdrawn and the use of the channel removed.