If you’re thinking about buying a new-build home, or you work in property development, there’s a piece of legislation you really should know about. It’s called Part S of the Building Regulations that came into force in 2022. And the chances are, most people involved in building the homes you’ll live in still don’t fully understand it.
That’s one of the reasons why, on the evening of 30 April 2026, Sevadis – one of the UK’s leading smart EV charging specialists – was in Manchester’s Concorde Conference Centre at the Runway Visitor Park, sponsoring the Sunday Express Construction and Property Awards.
I was there on behalf of Sevadis, conducting the winners’ interviews. And it turned out to be one of those evenings that reminded me why this stuff is important.
What Part S means for new homes
Approved Document S – part of the Building Regulations – now requires all new-build homes to have EV charge points installed. That’s a significant shift. It means that for any new residential development, the decisions around EV infrastructure have to be made long before a homeowner moves in – at the design and planning stage.
Yet according to Sevadis’ own Managing Director Cris Chapman, writing in Specification Online, Part S remains poorly understood across the industry – with many architects, property developers, and M&E contractors still unclear on what it requires. Get it wrong, and developers face added time, cost, and the headache of retrofitting charging infrastructure that should have been part of the original build.
This is the gap Sevadis works in. With a built environment team focused specifically on residential and commercial development, they support developers with CPD workshops, project-specific technical input, specification templates, and compliance with Part S requirements.
So why was Sevadis at a construction awards night?
Because the conversations that shape whether your next home comes with working EV infrastructure happen in rooms exactly like that one.
The Sunday Express Construction and Property Awards is the largest event of its kind in the UK, bringing together leading names from the property, development, and construction sectors. The 2026 edition expanded to more than 25 categories in response to industry demand, recognising businesses, developers, and professionals driving Britain’s rebuilding boom.
The evening was hosted by Janet Street-Porter, who brought her characteristically no-nonsense energy to proceedings – a fitting choice for an industry that’s more interested in getting things built than in ceremony for its own sake.
Interviewing the winners on the night, the emotion was real. These are teams building homes, offices, and regeneration projects that most people never hear about. Getting that work acknowledged publicly, in front of their peers, clearly meant a great deal. One winner told me: “It feels absolutely amazing to be recognised for the work we do.”
Sevadis being a sponsor wasn’t a vanity play. It was a direct statement that EV charging is no longer a feature to bolt on after the fact – it’s infrastructure that starts at the planning table.
What this means if you’re buying a new home
If you’re in the market for a new-build, here’s what to ask the developer:
- Does this development comply with Part S of the Building Regulations?
- Is a charge point included, or just the cable containment for one?
- Which charger is being installed, and does it support smart/scheduled charging?
The difference between a development that’s EV-ready and one that’s done the bare minimum is massive. Smart chargers let you schedule overnight charging to hit cheaper off-peak tariff rates. Dumb ones don’t.
Sevadis’ MaxiCharger supports smart charging features and can be set up via Bluetooth even where Wi-Fi isn’t yet available during the build stage – which is more critical than it sounds when you’re trying to get building control sign-off before a property is occupied.
The bigger picture
As a dad thinking about what kind of country my kids will grow up in, nights like this one sit in an interesting place. Construction is one of the industries that will determine whether Britain’s transition to electric transport is seamless or painful. The decisions made at the design stage of a housing estate today will affect EV drivers for the next 30 to 40 years.
Events like the Sunday Express Construction and Property Awards exist, in part, to lift the lid on that work. The companies doing it right deserve the recognition. And the conversation between builders and EV charging specialists? That’s the dialogue that needs to keep happening.
Thinking about home EV charging?
Whether you’re in a new-build or an existing property, Sevadis offers smart charging solutions with a nationwide network of approved installers. Find out more at sevadis.com.
