Property, Planning and Regeneration
Building social value into the construction industry
BRE’s fourth ‘building better frameworks for Britain’ event focused on changing the construction industry’s approach to the built environment.
The roundtable discussion focused on putting the needs of people and the delivery of projects above financial incentives.
Don’t worry, buy happy: the increasing population of senior homebuyers
People over the age of 65 are living longer and healthier lives, driving changes that the housing sector needs to address, according to new research.
Real estate consultancy Knight Frank found that 37 per cent of those asked said that the key considerations for older homebuyers are location, connectivity and affordability.
UK’s first ever national housing design audit backed by building industry
A new group has been formed to call for increased standards of design and higher quality homes.
Organisations including The Place Alliance, CPRE, Home Builders Federation and Urban Design Group aim to influence 100 large-scale developments across England.
Average house price rises in April
Residential property prices rose on average by 0.7 per cent from March to April taking the UK average to £228,903, according to the latest UK House Price Index.
Statistics released on 19 June also showed an annual rise of 1.4 per cent, with the highest increase in the East Midlands.
Transport
London paves the way for electric vehicle future
Sadiq Khan has set out his plan for an “electric revolution in London’s transport”.
The Mayor of London is appointing an Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Taskforce to install a number of ultra-rapid charging points in London petrol stations, introduce a system for residents to request charging infrastructure from their council, develop online tools, and support an expanded choice of electric vehicles.
Electric green makeover for UK railways
Sustainable transport group Campaign for Better Transport has published research showing rail electrification is integral to reaching the target of net zero emissions by 2050.
In an effort to continue reductions in air pollution from transport, the charity is pressuring the government to revisit its stalled plans to electrify more of the UK’s rail network.
UK’s first hydrogen train to be tested on mainline
The UK’s first hydrogen train has been given the green light to be tested on the mainline railway.
HydroFLEX is the result of work between the University of Birmingham and Porterbrook who are aiming to develop a propulsion system to decarbonise Britain’s railway.
Energy and environment
Campaign launched to promote the ‘Refill Revolution’
Three quarters of the British public view single-use plastic as socially unacceptable, and buying single-use plastic bottles could soon be comparable to littering, spitting in public and queue-jumping.
The change in attitude was revealed in a survey to mark National Refill Day on 19 June and coincided with the launch of the #GotTheBottle campaign.
Britain set to reach zero carbon milestone in 2019
National Grid has announced that for the first time since the Industrial Revolution, more of the country’s electricity will come from zero carbon sources than from fossil fuels in 2019.
The news comes as new research revealed that “climate anxiety” is being exacerbated by a lack of urgency around addressing the problem.
Nuclear is key to achieving 2050 net zero energy goal
Nuclear plants could be the key to transitioning to a low carbon energy system, according to a report published by the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI).
According to the research, small and advanced nuclear reactors could be valuable for flexible delivery of heat and power, while large reactors could support baseload electricity.