News
Early Engagement Key to Managing Passivhaus Projects
Posted on December 18th 2024
Compliance with Passivhaus targets is becoming increasingly common in planning policies and stakeholder requirements. Be it full certification or partly meeting specific compliance criteria, guidance from experts as soon as Passivhaus is mentioned as a possibility will help with smooth implementation and risk management. Achieving Passivhaus standards comes with inherent risks, including potential challenges in predicting energy usage, ensuring high-quality …
Happy Christmas & Happy New Year
Posted on December 17th 2024
We wish you all the very best during the festive season and hope you have a happy and joyous new year. We would like to thank all our clients for your continued support through the year and look forward to working with you all in the year ahead. Some highlights from 2024 include: Our 25th anniversary; Successfully helping numerous schemes …
A Safe Approach to Higher Risk Building Projects
Posted on December 17th 2024
During 2024 we have worked on a wide range of Building Safety Regulator (BSR) referrable projects and welcome the clarity of roles and responsibilities that is required to navigate the Gateway process successfully and produce robust designs for high quality buildings. With decades of experience working on highly complex building projects that would have been classified as ‘Higher Risk Buildings’ …
Key Dates for Implementation of Heat Network Regulation
Posted on December 17th 2024
Draft legislation for the Heat Networks (Market Framework) Regulations were laid in parliament last month proposing that regulations come into effect in the Spring of 2025. The transition period, referred to as the Initial Period, is outlined as follows: First Part of the Initial Period: 1st April 2025 to 26th January 2027 Regulated entities (suppliers and operators) are to register …
Planning Success at Lombard Square
Posted on November 29th 2024
Berkeley Homes Capital’s Lombard Square development has been granted planning consent. Providing 328 residential units and residential facilities. The approval allows the next phase of urban regeneration of a former brownfield site in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. We have provided a range of services to support the planning application, each with its own challenges which were successfully addressed: Energy …
Decarbonising Existing Heat Networks Without Future Homes Standard Clarity
Posted on November 29th 2024
Decisions on heat network decarbonisation plans are being made in the absence of clarity on the content and timing of the introduction of the Future Homes Standard (FHS). Particularly important is the approach to ‘sleeving’ of new low carbon plant to the relevant new development phases. The consultation based this on the kW capacity of new plant, as opposed to …
Tougher Water Efficiency Standards Continue to Expand in England
Posted on November 29th 2024
Planning authorities in southern England are increasingly seeking to adopt more onerous water efficiency standards. New developments in such locations should first prioritise achieving this with practical and cost-effective solutions, such as flow restriction devices, efficient white goods, and encouragement of behavioural changes. Homes can achieve 85 l/p/day on average from such measures. Reductions beyond this are likely to require …
Increased Carbon Offsetting Liabilities Linked to New Calculation Method
Posted on November 29th 2024
London Boroughs are increasingly looking to link development offset contributions to shortfalls in energy balance rather than CO₂ reductions. This is a fundamentally different approach which could lead to larger contributions being owed and a greater adoption of PHPP as a calculation methodology. Offsetting contributions are required where new major development cannot achieve a standard of zero carbon, usually demonstrable by …
The Benefits of Pursuing BREEAM Infrastructure Certification
Posted on October 30th 2024
Infrastructure projects have a significant role in mitigating environmental impacts, maximising the sustainability benefits of such works, and minimising life-cycle costs. The BREEAM Infrastructure certification scheme (formerly known as CEEQUAL) has now been operating for over 20 years and is the world’s leading sustainability certification for infrastructure, civil engineering, landscaping and public realm projects. It follows a similar assessment process …
Potential Heat Network Zones Mapped Out
Posted on October 30th 2024
Plans for the delivery of the heat network zoning regulations continue apace, despite the lack of a formal response from the Government to the consultation or a confirmed implementation date. The initial outputs of the Zoning Pilot Program have been published by the Government in the form of zone maps which can be accessed via this link – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/heat-network-zoning-maps. The …