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The Mayor is asking Londoners for their views on proposals to give key workers in the capital, which could include nurses, police officers and teachers, priority access to buy or rent homes below market rates. The proposed new key worker list is part of a wider consultation on the role of intermediate housing in London in the wake of the...

An overhaul of the country’s outdated planning system that will deliver the high-quality, sustainable homes communities need will be at the heart of the most significant reforms to housing policy in decades, the Housing Secretary announced when unveiling a new whitepaper. Described as 'landmark changes', the whitepaper seeks to transform a system that has long been criticised for being too...

NATIONAL Grid’s Future Energy Scenarios, published 27 July, showed hydrogen for heating, transport and clean dispatchable thermal energy playing a pivotal role in three out of the four of its net zero scenarios. These were Steady progression (SP), Consumer Transformation (CT), System Transformation (ST) and Leading the Way (LW). Cornwall Insight evaluated the relationship in these scenarios between electricity demand to...

The UK Government has selected engineering, design and consultancy firm Arup to help the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) to be delivered in a sustainable and carbon neutral manner. Arup, together with partners Crowberry Consulting, will work with the Government to prepare for the November 2021 COP26 event in Glasgow by advising on all aspects of sustainability. This will include...

OFGEM has announced that the price cap will fall by £84 from £1,126 to £1,042 per year for the winter period (October-March). This is the lowest level of the cap since it was introduced on January 1 2019. Jonathan Brearley, chief executive of Ofgem, commented on the announcement: “Millions of households, many of whom face financial hardship due to the COVID-19...

GREATER Manchester needs to act now and get decisions right first time if it is to become carbon neutral 12 years earlier than the rest of the UK, a new report confirms. The region can reach its ambitious target to meet all its energy needs in a green way by 2038, but it has no room for delay or error,...

THE WELSH Government has today outlined the measures it will take to improve the country’s air quality under its Clean Air Plan for Wales: Healthy Air, Healthy Wales In Wales, poor air quality contributes to a reduced life expectancy equivalent to between 1,000 and 1,400 deaths each year – often having a pronounced impact on the most vulnerable, such as...

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE County Council has secured two new ‘green’ energy contracts with the buying group, Laser. The contracts will cover all council buildings and street lighting, and will cost £12m over the next four years. The new contracts fall in line with the council’s target to make Northamptonshire climate neutral by 2030, and means the council will have zero carbon emissions from...

Lancaster City Council has adopted its new Local Plan, a comprehensive planning framework that 'ensures that the needs of current and future generations are met in a sustainable and appropriate manner.' The Plan sets out how and where economic growth can be achieved and identifies where land and premises need to be protected, whether this is for its environment, economic...

POLICY around energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation needs to be clarified and must include existing buildings, Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE) declared as part of the launch of their new paper. The Association has laid out its vision and policy proposals for heat and energy efficiency zoning in Zoning for Heat and Energy Efficiency, which was launched today in partnership...