Sustainability

A leading charity has voiced “severe concerns” over the impact that Universal Studios’ first UK theme park will have on the area’s water supply and warned it could scupper the proposed mega-project. The Countryside Charity (CPRE) raised the issue in its response to a two-month government consultation on plans by…

The long-awaited Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) is to become the first major building project to be overseen by an environmental regulator, in a bid to cut ‘green tape’. The £10.2bn scheme, which will include a 2.6-mile twin-bore tunnel under the River Thames, linking Kent and Essex, was first proposed in…

Cherwell District Council has approved plans for the UK’s first all-electric football stadium, giving Oxford United Football Club a permanent 16,000-capacity home. The stadium will be built on a five-hectare site known as the Triangle, to the east of Frieze Way and south of the A34, between Oxford Parkway station…

With 80 per cent of the buildings that will exist in 2050 already built, retrofitting is essential to achieving decarbonisation goals. The first-ever CN RE:NEW Retrofit in Focus 2025 conference is your chance to hear from and meet key players operating in the area. The event, to be held at…

Upgrading England’s homes could save the NHS almost £2bn by the middle of this century, research has revealed. A detailed paper published by government-funded science programme Climate Services for a Net Zero Resilient World (CS-Now) found that a range of retrofit measures could slash health expenditure by hundreds of millions…

Global tariff wars threaten to delay construction projects and erode contractor profits, a major business insurance company has warned. Import duties imposed around the world are “the most immediate and significant challenge” to firms in the building sector, according to QBE. In April, US president Donald Trump imposed trade taxes…

Just one in four public sector stakeholders now think the government’s target to achieve an 81 per cent reduction in emissions within the next 10 years is achievable, according to a new report. A nationwide survey by the public sector procurement specialist Pagabo also found 37 per cent of local…

A new report has revealed that shifting focus to retrofit everyday commercial buildings will help tackle delays in improving energy efficiency in buildings. Research by climate analysts Building Atlas revealed that “significant energy savings” could be achieved by looking at “boring” buildings instead of flagship properties. It found that at…

A judge has ruled that a £2.1bn upgrade to turn the A5 in Northern Ireland into a dual carriageway cannot go ahead as it does not meet the country’s climate change targets. Sitting at the High Court in Belfast, Mr Justice McAlinden found there was an “inadequacy of information for…

AI-based technology to cut carbon emissions from cement production has made it through to the second round of the government’s Manchester Prize. The Manchester Prize is a challenge from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) that rewards UK-led breakthroughs in AI. The winner will scoop a £1m grand…