Guy Bartlett Explains Urban EV Infrastructure Lessons: Tower Hamlets 2026

Key Points

• Driveway Disparity: 93% of residents in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets lack off-street parking, making public EV charging essential for mass adoption.
• Infrastructure Strategy: Charge point operator (CPO) Believ emphasizes that site selection must prioritise driver behavior and dwell times over simple space availability.
• Mixed Charging Speeds: A successful urban rollout relies on combining slower overnight chargers for residents with rapid and ultra-rapid options for commercial drivers and commuters.
• Underground Complexity: Utilising the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) is vital to identify existing cabling, evaluate grid capacity, and minimise road disruption.
• Grid & Regulatory Hurdles: Timely coordination with Distribution Network Operators (DNOs), managing Traffic Management Orders (TMOs), and active community engagement are essential to prevent deployment delays.

Tower Hamlets (East London Times) November 9, 2026 – As the transition towards electric vehicles (EVs) gathers momentum across the United Kingdom, with more than 124,000 public chargers currently live nationwide, building driver confidence depends heavily on expanding access beyond private driveways. Public charging infrastructure is particularly vital in dense urban environments where residents rely predominantly on street parking.

According to statistics compiled by the RAC, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets presents the starkest example of this challenge in the UK, as 93% of its households do not have off-street parking. In an analysis of urban charging deployment, Guy Bartlett, Chief Executive Officer of charge point operator Believ, highlighted that if EV access remains tied to private driveway ownership, the broader transition risks being dictated by housing type rather than public willingness to adopt zero-emission vehicles.

The London Borough of Tower Hamlets features constrained street space, heavy commuter traffic, and high roadside demand. Consequently, planning an effective network requires moving beyond simply identifying available pavement or connection points. Infrastructure strategies must align with actual driver movement patterns and the practical physical constraints of urban installation.

How should local councils and CPOs assess community charging needs?

Effective EV network planning begins by identifying the specific requirements of the local population. Council officers and charge point operators must evaluate where residents park, how commuters move through the borough, and what dwell times dictate the required charging speeds at specific sites.

Guy Bartlett noted that no single location can meet all charging requirements. Instead, urban environments require a combination of charging speeds deployed side by side. In Tower Hamlets, rapid and ultra-rapid chargers operate alongside slower connection points. This dual approach serves residents who require long-stay or overnight charging, alongside commercial operators and commuters needing rapid top-ups. Site practicality and physical accessibility must guide installation decisions alongside pure numerical targets.

What role do parking enforcement and Traffic Management Orders play in site delivery?

Installing charging hardware represents only one element of network delivery. On-street charging infrastructure requires clear parking frameworks and active bay management. Dedicated charging bays must be enforced to prevent non-charging vehicles from blocking access to active infrastructure.

In London, adjustments to parking allocations require Traffic Management Orders (TMOs). The TMO process involves formal public consultations and the review of resident objections. Because these statutory steps require substantial time and resources, TMO workflows must be integrated into initial delivery schedules rather than treated as administrative concluding steps.

Partnerships between local authorities and CPOs are crucial to streamline this process. Councils contribute insight into local parking trends and community priorities, while CPOs supply operational expertise and technical engineering capability.

Community consultation forms an essential component of this planning framework. During World EV Day on September 9, Believ hosted a community outreach initiative at Newby Place in Tower Hamlets, providing free charging while team members answered technical and operational questions from residents, taxi drivers, and local business owners. The Newby Place facility represented one of the initial 22 live chargers within a wider project scope encompassing over 70 chargers across 35 distinct locations in the borough.

How do underground constraints and grid connections impact deployment speed?

Subsurface conditions frequently dictate whether a proposed above-ground location is technically viable. Pre-installation assessments must account for local traffic flow, existing street furniture, and subsurface utility lines, cabling, and substations.

Believ utilizes National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) mapping during early feasibility phases to evaluate cable routing options and assess available electrical capacity. Conducting early subsurface mapping reduces the risk of speculative excavation, unnecessary road closures, and street disruption in high-density urban areas.

Grid integration also demands early coordination across multiple stakeholders, including local authorities, independent distribution network operators (IDNOs), and regional distribution network operators (DNOs). Electrical capacity constraints, scheduled maintenance works, and harmonics testing—which measures potential power distortion caused by chargers on the local grid—can influence project timelines, particularly for rapid and ultra-rapid infrastructure.

Furthermore, grid connection offers issued by network operators carry fixed expiration dates. If delivery timelines slip, these offers may require formal extension requests or complete re-evaluation, introducing avoidable project costs and delays.

What is the strategic path forward for inclusive urban EV infrastructure?

The operational model deployed in Tower Hamlets indicates that urban charging challenges can be addressed through early site assessments, technical mapping, and aligned stakeholder management. Municipal authorities and CPOs can establish robust networks by evaluating user requirements concurrently with grid capacity and subterranean constraints.

Over the coming five years, the success of urban EV infrastructure deployment will be measured not merely by total plug counts, but by whether residents lacking off-street parking can rely on public networks as a dependable alternative to conventional fuel.

Background of Urban EV Infrastructure Development

The push for comprehensive public EV charging infrastructure in the UK is driven by national decarbonisation targets and regional low-emission mandates. Urban centers present unique operational hurdles compared to suburban areas, where private driveways accommodate home charger installations. Dense municipalities like Tower Hamlets highlight the infrastructure deficit faced by multi-occupancy dwellings and terraced housing stock without private parking.

To address these disparities, the UK government has introduced statutory frameworks and mapping initiatives, such as the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR), aimed at streamlining civil engineering works and reducing grid connection bottlenecks. CPOs operating in metropolitan zones are increasingly required to collaborate with local councils, Distribution Network Operators (DNOs), and statutory planning bodies to navigate Traffic Management Orders (TMOs) and secure grid capacity for rapid charging points.

Industry Outlook: Impact on Non-Driveway EV Drivers and Local Authorities

The lessons established in Tower Hamlets provide a template for urban local authorities managing high-density populations. If councils and CPOs successfully standardize early subterranean feasibility testing, proactive TMO management, and balanced charging speed allocations, non-driveway residents will gain equal access to reliable charging. Conversely, failure to integrate early grid and regulatory planning risks creating localized charging deserts, delaying zero-emission adoption among urban motorists, and placing undue strain on existing municipal road networks.