Guide to Conversion of Traditional Buildings

Section 7: Sustainability - Application of the sustainability standards: 7.2 Electric Vehicle Charging

Mandatory Standard

Standard 7.2

Every building must be designed and constructed in such a way that provision for the charging of electric vehicles is made where car parking spaces are located within the building or the curtilage of the building.

Limitation

This standard does not apply to:

a) a non-domestic building where ten or fewer car parking spaces are present within the building or the curtilage of the building,

b) alteration to, or extension of a building, other than major renovation works

7.2.1 Application of standard to conversions

Standard 7.2 is a mandatory functional requirement under the Building (Scotland) Act 2003. It supports the wider objectives of the building standards system to further the conservation of fuel and power and to contribute to sustainable development, as set out in the Technical Handbooks.

For new buildings and for major renovation works falling within scope, compliance is required at design stage and must be demonstrated as part of the building warrant process. In the case of conversions of traditionally constructed buildings, provision should be made in a manner that is technically feasible, proportionate, and sensitive to the character and fabric of the building and its setting.

7.2.2 Commentary

The purpose of Standard 7.2 is to ensure that buildings are future-ready for the transition to low-emission transport. The standard focuses on enabling infrastructure rather than mandating immediate installation of active charge points in every space.

Provision typically includes:

• Installation of charge points in a defined proportion of spaces, and/or
• Provision of enabling infrastructure (ducting, cable containment, distribution board capacity and space allocation) to facilitate future installation without significant disruption.

The requirement applies where car parking spaces are provided within a building (for example, integral garages or undercroft parking) or within its curtilage. The standard therefore engages with site layout, electrical design, fire safety strategy, and external works.

For domestic buildings, this will normally require at least one charge point per dwelling with an associated parking space or enabling infrastructure where appropriate. For larger flatted developments, a proportion of spaces will require active provision, with passive provision to remaining spaces to ensure scalability.

For traditionally constructed or listed buildings, particularly those within conservation areas, the installation of EV infrastructure can raise additional considerations including visual impact, impact on boundary treatments, and potential disturbance of historic fabric. Early coordination between the design team, building standards verifier and, where relevant, the planning authority is essential.

7.2.3 Issues to be considered

Typical risks in the conversion of historic/traditional buildings

1. Impact on Historic Fabric and Setting

Installation of cabling, ducting and wall-mounted charge points may require chasing into masonry, drilling through stone walls, or fixing to historic elevations. Such interventions should be minimised. Surface-mounted, reversible solutions located in less sensitive areas (for example, secondary elevations or detached structures) are generally preferable.

2. Groundworks within the Curtilage

Trenching for underground ducting can affect archaeological deposits, historic paving, or mature landscapes. In sensitive sites, particularly those associated with pre-1919 buildings, below-ground impacts should be carefully assessed and coordinated with conservation advice where required.

3. Electrical Capacity and Upgrades

Existing buildings may have constrained incoming electrical supply. Upgrading supply capacity can trigger additional interventions, including new service routes or plant installations. Early engagement with the Distribution Network Operator is recommended to determine feasibility and avoid abortive design work.

4. Fire Safety Integration

Where charging infrastructure is located within enclosed garages or undercroft parking, coordination with Section 2 (Fire) of the Technical Handbooks is required. Consideration should be given to fire separation, detection, ventilation, and cable management to ensure that new installations do not compromise existing compartmentation or introduce unmanaged risk.

5. Accessibility and Inclusive Design

Provision of EV charging should align with accessible parking strategies and inclusive design principles. Charge points serving accessible bays must be positioned and detailed to allow safe and convenient use.

7.2.4 Recommendations to meet the standard

To demonstrate compliance, the design team should:

• Identify all car parking spaces within the building and its curtilage at an early design stage.
• Confirm whether the works fall within scope (new build or major renovation).
• Determine the required proportion of active and passive provision in accordance with the current Domestic Technical Handbooks
• Integrate EV infrastructure within the overall electrical strategy, ensuring sufficient distribution board capacity, cable routes, and metering arrangements.
• Locate charge points to minimise visual and physical impact on historic fabric, prioritising reversible and low-impact solutions.
• Coordinate proposals with planning and conservation requirements where applicable.
• Clearly annotate drawings submitted for building warrant to demonstrate compliance, including details of ducting routes, containment, protection measures and charge point specifications.

For conversions of traditionally constructed buildings, the principle should be to achieve compliance in a manner that supports long-term sustainable use while safeguarding architectural character. Where full compliance presents technical or heritage constraints, early discussion with the verifier is essential to agree a solution that satisfies the intent of the standard without causing disproportionate harm.

a) Location and impact on setting

Charge points should be located outwith pedestrian, cycle and vehicular access routes and must not obstruct circulation, including dropped kerbs. In historic settings, careful siting is critical to avoid visual clutter or harm to principal elevations, designed landscapes, boundary walls or historic surfacing.

HES guidance emphasises that new services and equipment should:

• Be located on secondary or less publicly visible elevations wherever possible.
• Avoid direct fixing to ashlar stonework, decorative façades, or architecturally significant fabric.
• Minimise intervention in historic boundary treatments such as railings, gate piers or rubble walls, and
• Avoid loss or disturbance of historic paving, cobbles or archaeological deposits within the curtilage.

Where trenching is required for underground ducting, potential impacts on buried archaeology or historic surfaces should be assessed at an early stage. Surface-mounted and reversible containment solutions are generally preferable to invasive chasing into masonry.

b) Avoiding obstruction and physical damage

The Handbook requires positioning to minimise risk of accidental impact and to prevent obstruction of access routes. In historic contexts, this aligns with HES advice to avoid incremental damage to fabric through vehicle overrun, vibration or inappropriate fixings.

Where protective barriers are required to prevent vehicular impact, these should:

• be visually recessive and proportionate in design.
• avoid introducing incongruous materials or overly engineered elements.
• be fixed in a manner that does not cause irreversible harm to historic fabric.

Freestanding bollards or barriers located within modern surfaces are often more appropriate than fixings directly into historic masonry.

c) Electrical installations

Installations must comply with BS 7671 (IET Wiring Regulations) and the IET Code of Practice for Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment Installation. In listed buildings, routing of cabling and containment should be designed to avoid unnecessary disturbance to significant fabric, including lath and plaster finishes, timber panelling, and stonework.

HES guidance consistently supports the principle that new building services should be:

• reversible where feasible.
• concealed within existing voids or service zones rather than cutting new chases.
• installed in a way that retains the building’s ability to breathe (particularly relevant to mass masonry construction).

Where upgrades to electrical supply are necessary, the external expression of new meter cabinets, plant or distribution boards should be carefully detailed to avoid adverse visual impact.

d) Dimensional clearances and installation zones

The Domestic Technical Handbook specifies minimum clearance distances for wall-mounted and floor-mounted charge points and defines assumed unit sizes where equipment is not yet selected.

In listed buildings and sensitive curtilage settings, these dimensional requirements should be tested against spatial constraints and heritage impact. Early coordination between conservation advisors, the design team and the verifier is essential to ensure that compliance with clearance distances does not inadvertently lead to inappropriate siting on principal elevations or within prominent courtyards.

Where compliance would cause unacceptable heritage impact, alternative compliant layouts within less sensitive areas of the site should be explored before more intrusive options are considered, in line with HEPS Policy HEP3 (minimising detrimental impact and demonstrating that alternatives have been explored).

e) Accessibility

Reference to PAS 1899: 2022 – Electric vehicles – Accessible charging – Specification reinforces the requirement for inclusive access. For historic properties, accessible charging provision should be integrated sensitively within existing access strategies, ensuring that ramps, railings, steps or historic entrance arrangements are not compromised.

HES policy supports interventions that enhance the sustainable use of historic buildings, provided that changes are carefully managed. Delivering accessible charging infrastructure may support the viable long-term use of a building, aligning with HEP5 (contributing to sustainable development of communities and places).

7.2.5 Professional practice note

Architects, chartered surveyors, engineers and other construction professionals should treat EV infrastructure as core building infrastructure rather than an add-on. Retrofitting at a later stage is typically more disruptive, costly and damaging to historic fabric.

Design teams should prepare clear drawings demonstrating location, fixing methods, cable routes, groundworks, and any protective measures. A brief heritage impact assessment may be required to demonstrate that proposals preserve the character of the listed building and its setting.

In line with Scotland’s wider net zero ambitions and the objectives of the building standards system, standard 7.2 should be approached as part of an integrated sustainability strategy that aligns transport decarbonisation, energy supply, and conservation best practice.