Planning EV Charging Infrastructure for New-Build Developments in Manchester
Manchester's development pipeline shows no sign of slowing down. From the towering residential schemes in Deansgate to the mixed-use regeneration projects across Salford Quays and Stockport town centre, new buildings are reshaping the city at pace. What every one of these developments now has in common is a legal obligation to provide electric vehicle charging infrastructure from the moment residents or tenants move in.
Since June 2022, Approved Document S of the Building Regulations has required EV charging provision in all new buildings with associated parking. For developers, getting the electrical infrastructure right at the design stage is not just a compliance exercise — it is the difference between a clean handover and an expensive retrofit that delays occupation and frustrates buyers. For building owners and property managers inheriting these systems, understanding what should have been installed and what documentation to expect is equally important.
This guide covers the practical, regulatory and electrical considerations for planning EV charging in new-build developments across Greater Manchester.
Part S Building Regulations: What Developers Must Deliver
Approved Document S sets out the minimum EV charging requirements for new buildings in England. The rules are straightforward in principle but frequently misunderstood in practice.
For new residential buildings with associated parking, every dwelling with one or more parking spaces must have at least one chargepoint installed and operational before occupation. That chargepoint must be rated at a minimum of 7kW and comply with BS EN 61851. It must also be capable of smart charging in line with the Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021, meaning it can receive and respond to signals to shift charging times and manage load.
For new non-residential buildings — offices, retail premises, light industrial units — the requirement is different. At least one chargepoint must be provided for every ten parking spaces, with cable routes installed to every remaining space. A cable route is not the same as a chargepoint or even a chargepoint-ready bay. It means a continuous route from the electrical distribution board to the parking space through which cabling could be installed in the future without major building work. In practice, that typically means ducting, trunking or containment already in place, with sufficient space at the distribution board for additional circuits.
The distinction matters. "Active chargepoint" means a working unit on the wall. "Chargepoint ready" means the cable is pulled and terminated but no unit is fitted. "Cable route" means the physical pathway exists but no cable has been installed. Developers who confuse these categories risk building control rejection at sign-off. You can read more about the specific Part S obligations in our detailed guide to Building Regulations Part S and EV charging in Manchester.
Electrical Capacity Planning at Design Stage
The single most consequential decision in any new-build EV charging project is electrical capacity, and it must be addressed at the earliest stage of design.
A typical 7kW chargepoint draws roughly 32 amps on a single-phase supply. A development with twenty parking spaces therefore needs to account for a potential load of over 140kW from EV charging alone — before the building's own lighting, heating, lifts and domestic appliances are considered. No incoming supply sized purely for the building's traditional loads will cope with that demand unmanaged.
For smaller developments of five to ten dwellings, a standard three-phase supply may be sufficient if load management is built in from the start. For anything larger, early engagement with the Distribution Network Operator is essential. In the Manchester area, Electricity North West handles DNO applications for new and upgraded supplies. Applications for developments requiring substation upgrades or new points of connection can take twelve weeks or more to process, and that timeline extends if reinforcement work is needed on the local network.
Diversity is the key concept. Not every charger will be drawing full power simultaneously. BS 7671 allows engineers to apply diversity factors when sizing circuits and incoming supplies, reflecting the statistical reality that in a building with forty chargepoints, peak simultaneous demand might be equivalent to only fifteen or twenty running at full rate. Smart load management systems enforce this by dynamically allocating available power across connected vehicles, throttling charge rates when demand is high and releasing capacity as vehicles complete their charge cycles.
For larger estates, a dedicated substation may be required. This adds cost and lead time but removes the constraint of sharing supply capacity with the wider building. The decision hinges on the number of chargepoints, the building's base load and the available capacity on the local network — all of which need to be established through the DNO application process before detailed design begins.
Infrastructure Design Decisions
Once the supply capacity is established, the detailed design of the charging infrastructure follows. Several decisions at this stage have long-term consequences for the building's operation.
Charger type is the first consideration. For residential developments, 7kW AC chargers are the standard — they deliver a full overnight charge for most vehicles and operate on a single-phase connection per unit. For commercial buildings with higher turnover parking, 22kW AC or even 50kW DC chargers may be appropriate, though DC units require significantly heavier electrical infrastructure and are typically reserved for destinations where vehicles park for shorter periods.
Cable containment and ducting should be designed generously. Part S requires cable routes to all non-active bays in commercial developments, but good practice extends this principle to residential projects as well. Installing spare ducting during construction costs a fraction of what it would to retrofit later. A 50mm duct run from the distribution board to each bay, with draw wire pre-installed, allows future chargepoints to be added without lifting floors or chasing walls.
Metering arrangements need careful thought, particularly in multi-unit developments. In residential schemes, individual metering is standard — each dwelling's charger sits behind its own electricity meter, so the resident pays for their own charging. In commercial buildings, a communal metering arrangement with back-office billing software is more practical. OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol) compatibility is essential here. Chargers that support OCPP can communicate with a central management platform for billing, load management and remote diagnostics. Proprietary systems that lock you into a single vendor's ecosystem should be avoided.
Outdoor installations need IP-rated enclosures appropriate to their exposure. IP65 is the minimum for chargers in open car parks, and cable termination points must be protected from water ingress. Drainage around charger locations is often overlooked — standing water at the base of a chargepoint is both a safety concern and a route to premature hardware failure. A proper site survey before installation identifies these risks early.
Common Mistakes Developers Make
Having worked on EV charging installations across new-build sites in Manchester, we see the same errors repeated on development after development.
The most damaging is undersizing the electrical supply. A developer who plans for today's chargepoint count without accounting for future demand will hand over a building that needs a supply upgrade within five years. Given the trajectory of EV adoption, every parking space in a new building will eventually need charging capability. Designing the incoming supply and distribution infrastructure to accommodate full build-out — even if only a fraction of chargepoints are installed at handover — avoids costly retrospective upgrades.
Failing to coordinate with the DNO early enough is the second most common problem. Supply applications are not instantaneous. On large developments, network reinforcement can add months to the programme. We have seen projects where the building was complete but EV chargers could not be energised because the DNO connection was still pending. Starting the DNO conversation at RIBA Stage 2 rather than Stage 4 prevents this.
Hardware selection without regard for software compatibility causes ongoing headaches. A charger that cannot be remotely managed, updated or integrated with a building management system becomes a maintenance burden. Equally, choosing the cheapest available hardware to meet the minimum Part S requirement often results in unreliable units that need replacing within a few years.
Finally, poor coordination between trades during construction frequently results in blocked or damaged ducting, missing containment runs and cable routes that exist on the drawing but not in the building. A specialist electrical contractor involved from the design stage through to commissioning catches these issues before they become expensive corrections.
Handover Compliance Documentation
When a new-build development is handed over, the developer must provide a comprehensive set of compliance documentation covering the EV charging infrastructure. Building control will not sign off without it, and any managing agent or freeholder inheriting the building needs this paperwork to manage the installation going forward.
The minimum documentation set includes electrical installation certificates for all chargepoint circuits, issued in accordance with BS 7671. An EICR covering the charging infrastructure should also be provided, confirming that the installation is in satisfactory condition at handover. Manufacturer documentation for each chargepoint — including model specifications, installation instructions, user guides and warranty terms — must be included. Operation and maintenance manuals should specify servicing intervals, fault-finding procedures and replacement part information.
DNO agreement documentation is often the piece that goes missing. The developer should hand over copies of the accepted connection application, the supply agreement, any wayleave or easement documentation for cable routes crossing third-party land, and details of any load management conditions imposed by the DNO.
For developments where chargers are managed through a back-office platform, admin credentials and account transfer procedures need to be completed at handover. The building's management company needs full access to the system from day one.
Manchester-Specific Context
Greater Manchester's position as one of the UK's fastest-growing development markets makes EV charging infrastructure planning particularly pressing. The GM Combined Authority's electric vehicle charging strategy aims to ensure that charging infrastructure keeps pace with adoption, and local planning authorities are increasingly attaching conditions to permissions that go beyond the minimum Part S requirements.
In areas like Ancoats, the Northern Quarter and Salford Quays, high-density residential developments with underground or podium car parks present specific challenges around ventilation, fire safety and cable routing. The Clean Air Zone in Manchester city centre has accelerated fleet electrification among businesses operating in the zone, driving demand for workplace and commercial charging provision.
Developments in Trafford Park — one of Europe's largest industrial estates — face different considerations. Larger electrical supplies, three-phase infrastructure and the need for rapid DC charging for commercial vehicles all feature in projects across the park.
For developers working across Greater Manchester, engaging an electrical contractor with local experience and established relationships with Electricity North West streamlines the DNO application process and avoids the delays that derail project timelines. Our guide on future-proofing property EV charging infrastructure covers additional strategies for protecting your investment over the long term.
Get Expert EV Charging Design for Your New-Build Development
Manchester Compliance provides end-to-end EV charging design, installation and compliance services for new-build developments across Greater Manchester. From initial site surveys and DNO applications through to commissioning, certification and handover documentation, we ensure your development meets Part S requirements and is ready for the demands of a fully electric future.
Contact us for a free initial consultation:
- Email: hello@manchestercompliance.co.uk
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