Sustainability

The cost of getting private rental housing in England up to tougher EPC guidelines by 2025 is set to be around £19bn, new research by Hamptons on behalf of Bloomberg has revealed. The study, which analysed data from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, found that almost half…

HS2 has defended its assessment of the megaproject’s environmental impact after campaigners said there were “fundamental flaws” in the way it was calculated. A report from a group of charities known as The Wildlife Trusts found that the metric HS2 uses to assess the scheme’s impact on nature – called…

Partners in a new two-year industrial trial have claimed they will produce the world’s first zero-emission cement by transforming a byproduct of steel recycling. The Cement 2 Zero consortium is led by the Materials Processing Institute (MPI) and includes £6.5m of government funding from UK Research and Innovation. Participants in…

Plans have been unveiled for the UK’s largest timber development, called The Phoenix. The 700-home, mixed-use neighbourhood proposed for Lewes, East Sussex, would transform a 7.9 hectare brownfield site of a former foundry, called the Foundry Iron and Steelworks, into a development powered entirely by renewable energy. It would use…

Plans have been revealed for a new 400km pipeline underneath the North Sea to transport hydrogen produced by offshore wind farms to the continent. Proposals have been put forward by gas transmission firms Gascade and Fluxys that would see the 400km-long AquaDuctus line initially connect from German windfarm SEN-1, which…

Industry figures have demanded targeted support for small construction companies ahead of the “unwelcome” expansion of London’s polluting-vehicle charge. Federation of Master Builders chief executive Brian Berry and Scaffolding Association policy consultant Chris Seaton urged the mayor of London to reconsider the detail of proposals to extend the ultra-low emission…

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) property valuation techniques could help to unlock development opportunities for the construction industry outside urban centres, according to new research from the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). The Sustainable Buildings Monitor: Redefining Value report for contractor ISG, released earlier today, argues that a…

Contractor Mace has been picked to build a 12-storey office scheme in the City of London. Developers BauMont Real Estate Capital and YardNine chose Mace to deliver the ‘Edenica’ office and retail development, which lies between Chancery Lane and Fleet Street. The scheme has an estimated completion date of late…

A consortium of housing associations is looking for contractors and consultants for a retrofit framework worth £1.48bn. The Greener Futures Partnerships is looking to decarbonise its housing stock through works including installation of solar panels and heat pumps, insulation and roofing. The consortium – made up of housing providers Abri,…

Regular changes in environmental policies and a skills shortage are holding the UK back from achieving its net-zero aims, a review has found. The Net Zero Review, an independent assessment carried out by former energy minister Chris Skidmore for the UK government, warned that continual changes of policy on limiting…