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Net Zero features
Sunak’s rollback of net zero targets is ‘short-term thinking’
Big interview with Octopus Real Estate: ‘How far can we push the boundaries?’
Queensberry’s Elshaw House: A showcase in sustainability
A mission to build affordable homes
Developers get ready for BNG
Testing the future of net zero homes
Key steps on the road to net zero
In the eye of the storm
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Latest Net Zero news
The Buildings Mission Zero Network launches action report
The Buildings Mission Zero Network yesterday launched the first of two reports supporting the decarbonisation of the built environment and called for a national retrofit strategy.
Housebuilding jumps 75% in one quarter
The number of construction starts for new homes in the UK rose to 67,600 in Q2 2023, up by 75% from the previous quarter, with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) attributing the spike to housebuilders avoiding cost of compliance with new green building standards introduced in ...
Tackling climate risks requires €8/sq m of annual capex reserve, AEW finds
AEW has calculated a single climate risk premium for the European real estate sector showing the cost of tackling climate change to be 19 basis points (bps) of the value of prime assets annually - or €8/sq m (£6.9/sq m).
MJ Gleeson launches biodiversity strategy
Housebuilder MJ Gleeson today (28 September) announced a commitment to setting science-based carbon emission targets and to launch a new biodiversity strategy.
UKGBC’s McWhirter slams ‘brutal’ dissolution of Energy Efficiency Taskforce
The UK Green Building Council’s (UKGBC) deputy chief executive Simon McWhirter has criticised the government’s decision to disband the Energy Efficiency Taskforce only six months on from its launch, and just days after it scrapped Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) for residential landlords.
Government Property Agency publishes first ESG report
The Government Property Agency (GPA) has published its first environmental, social and governance (ESG) report, stating a commitment to pursue net zero goals within government buildings.
University of Birmingham to build £50m net zero Energy Institute
The University of Birmingham is to build a net zero carbon facility to house its Energy Institute and expand its energy and research function.
Green light for amended first phase of Manchester’s £1.5bn Mayfield development
Planning officers have given the green light to amended plans for a transport hub and 320,000 sq ft of office space in the first phase of Manchester’s £1.5bn Mayfield development.
Jerome Frost to chair Arup Group
Sustainable development consultancy Arup Group has announced that Jerome Frost OBE will succeed Dr Alan Belfield as chair from 1 April 2024.
Trammell Crow completes debut UK logistics development
Commercial real estate developer and investor Trammell Crow Company (TCC) has completed CORE Milton Keynes, its first UK logistics development.
Investors target UK and European offices needing sustainability upgrades
Private and institutional investors are targeting UK and European offices with poor environmental performance with a view to creating value through sustainability upgrades, a Knight Frank report has found.
The Instant Group launches flexible workspace sustainability index
Flexible office consultancy the Instant Group has launched a sustainability index, which it claims is the first for the sector.
Gleeds’ net zero 2040 target gains Science Based Targets initiative validation
Property and construction consultancy Gleeds has had its 2040 net zero ambitions validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
RESi360: MMC key to greener home building, despite modular firm failures
Modern methods of construction (MMC) will play a vital role in the drive to meet net zero targets, despite recent high-profile failures among modular homes builders, according to a Resi360 panel discussing how to build greener homes.
Property Week launches Get Set for Net Zero survey
Property Week would like to understand what you think about climate change: what action you think is appropriate, and what steps your organisation might be taking to reach net zero carbon.
Latest Net Zero comments
Is the HS2 project going off the rails?
There has been much talk in the past few days on two highly contentious issues that will have a profound impact on the country generally.
Property is leading on sustainability
Editor: The prime minister’s recent changes to the UK’s important environmental commitments means there is an opportunity for a new focus when it comes to reaching net zero.
Net zero policy changes will have minimal impact
Editor: The prime minister’s announcement on key net zero policies has been met with widespread frustration from the public, industry and media.
Linesight's Niall Greene on why the gigafactory opportunity is huge
The property sector is in a race to strategically plan and construct the necessary infrastructure for a decarbonised world. This encompasses a wide range of essential elements, including renewable power generation, zero-emission transportation and net zero buildings. The magnitude of this endeavour cannot be overstated.
Nutrient neutrality: we are back in limbo again
Editor: The House of Lords’ rejection of the government’s proposed nutrient neutrality solution is where people playing party politics do this country no favours at all.
Beware the sunlit uplands
As I write hastily on Wednesday (20.09.23), I assume speech writers in the back rooms of No 10 Downing Street will be hammering their keyboards with even greater urgency, tasked with framing the government’s shift on climate policy in the best possible light. I don’t envy their task in polishing ...
We must rebalance the scales to make reusing buildings viable
The property sector is going through the ‘five stages of grief’ in understanding that we can’t bulldoze our way towards a brighter future.
Ramboll’s Martin Bissell on how technology can save stranded assets
The built environment is the second-largest source of carbon emissions in the UK after surface transport, and as such, it is of paramount importance that we take action to decarbonise buildings to meet net zero targets.
Green-belt narrative has to change
Editor: In PMQs late last month, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer claimed that housebuilding had “collapsed” – a sentiment felt by many in our industry. Indeed, the target of 300,000 new homes a year has not come close to being reached over the last decade.
Align climate goals with health
As record-breaking heatwaves spread across southern Europe, we are confronted with the stark reminder that the effects of climate change are no longer far-flung, but are already upon us.
Property taxes mean it’s not so easy for buildings to be green
Two years ago, in a well-publicised disagreement with Kermit the Frog, then prime minister Boris Johnson told the United Nations General Assembly in New York “it’s easy to go green”.
Financial disclosure: misleading signs on the road to net zero
It is widely recognised that the real estate industry is a major contributor to global carbon dioxide emissions. If we are to reach net zero by 2050 – as called for in the 2015 Paris Agreement – the industry requires clear and effective regulation now more than ever.
Prioritising sustainability
The Covid-19 pandemic catalysed investment into the logistics market following the unexpected spike in demand from ecommerce and third-party logistics occupiers.
Everybody needs good NABERS
At a breakfast briefing last month, Sarah Ratcliffe, CEO of the Better Buildings Partnership (BBP), showed a slide depicting a very strange situation – but one which she found not the least bit surprising.
Key steps on the road to net zero
Real estate is the number-one emitter of greenhouse gases, accounting for 37% of global emissions, according to UN figures. If the world is to achieve globally agreed net zero targets, it is imperative the built environment adapts immediately – a commitment that demands investment of $5trn (£4trn) a year.
