Tag: Government
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Nature protections ‘not the problem’ — so why is the government rolling them back?
The UK government’s Planning & Infrastructure Bill aims to expedite housing and infrastructure projects by streamlining environmental regulations. Central to the bill is the establishment of a Nature Restoration Fund (NRF), allowing developers to offset environmental obligations through financial contributions. While the government asserts that these latest planning reforms will support development without compromising environmental…
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Government approves plans for controversial data centre in green belt
Today (12 May), housing minister Baroness Sharon Taylor of Stevenage, on behalf of secretary of state for housing, communities and local government Angela Rayner, published a 98-page letter addressed to Greystoke Land’s development consultant, Pegasus Group, granting planning permission subject to conditions for the project after agreeing with the planning inspectorate’s recommendations. View the original…
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U-turn as Government makes solar panels mandatory on all new homes by 2027
The Labour Government has announced a major policy shift, confirming that all new homes in England must be fitted with solar panels by 2027. The move comes just months after ministers rejected the Sunshine Bill, marking a significant U-turn on renewable energy policy. Environmental campaigners, including CPRE, have hailed the decision as a major victory…
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Government raked in £1.4bn in stamp duty before the March 30th deadline, as calls to remove the tax grow
UK homebuyers shelled out an extraordinary £1.4 billion in stamp duty in March 2025 as they scrambled to beat major tax threshold cuts, according to new HMRC figures. This surge marked a 34% jump from February and a 63% increase compared to March 2024, highlighting how thousands rushed transactions to avoid steep hikes set for…
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Grenfell Tower: government appoints demolition contractor
Deconstruct has been the Grenfell Tower site’s principal contractor, responsible for its structural propping, security and maintenance, site clearance, and weekly monitoring of the building’s condition since 2017. This, MHCLG added, gives the company “unique site knowledge”. View the original article and our Inspiration here
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Government caves in as wood burning stoves allowed in Future Homes Standard, despite health warnings
The UK government has confirmed that modern wood-burning stoves will be permitted as secondary heating sources in new and self build homes under the forthcoming Future Homes Standard. The Ministry of Housing confirmed in a letter: “Under the standards proposed in the consultation, a wood burning stove would be permitted as a secondary heating source…
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Government names CEO of new infrastructure body
She is currently a partner at consultancy giant EY, and prior to that was a commercial advisor at the IPA. For 10 years, she oversaw major infrastructure developments at the Department for Transport, serving as the senior responsible officer for the Crossrail, Thameslink and Intercity Express programmes. She has also worked on significant infrastructure programmes…
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Trades group sues federal government over PLA exemption
Listen to the article 4 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Dive Brief: A construction union group filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia Wednesday against two federal agencies and their chiefs for ignoring a still-in-effect executive order from former President Joe…
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Government awards £4.5m buildings policy advice contract
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has awarded a £4.5m contract to a Cheshire-based consultancy to help develop building policy across government. Adroit Economics, an “economics, technology and regeneration” consultancy founded in 2005 by Dr Steve Sheppard, will be responsible for the “provision of economic and technical research for buildings policy”. The…
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Government advice on HRB height ‘unhelpful’, says construction lawyer
“[The guidance in the article] is unhelpful because it doesn’t take into account the effect of the Smoke House decision, and instead continues to provide guidance that is at odds with the legislation,” Simon Lewis, partner at the construction and engineering team at international law firm Womble Bond Dickinson, told CM. View the original article…