Air quality: policies, proposals and concerns
The UK Government as described poor air quality as “the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK” as it launched a briefing note giving an overview of all laws, governance and enforcement arrangements now that the country is no longer a member of the EU. Following Brexit, a number of internationally agreed laws […]
UK property market update: Interest rate rises and sustainable buildings- Are there trends to be aware of? Syntegra Managing Director Alan King reports.
The UK property market is experiencing a notable shift as interest rates continue to rise, coinciding with an increasing focus on sustainable buildings, Passivhaus standards, and the integration of Greentech solutions. This update aims to shed light on these interconnected developments and the implications they hold for property investors, developers, and homeowners still reeling from […]
Defra unveils multi-million pound Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment fund
The UK Government has unveiled plans for a new £5m Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment to protect the environment as part of a new package of Environment Bill measures. Environment Minister George Eustice said the funding will help improve the data collection of how nature and biodiversity are used within the UK. The initial programme […]
Climate change: positive steps to celebrate
Once again as Brexit continues to dominate airtime, column inches and many a social media post, it can be hard to find glimmers of any positive moves being made to tackle the country – and world’s – even more pressing emergency: climate change. Yet buried deep in the weeds of daily news coverage this week […]
Draft Environment Bill ‘severely downgrades’ environmental laws from EU standards, MPs warn
The UK Government’s draft Environment Bill would lead to significant environmental policies being ‘severely downgraded’ in comparison to current EU rules, MPs have warned following their scrutiny of proposals. The Environmental Audit Committee criticised the Environment Principles and Governance Bill as ‘lacking coherence’ and claimed it leaves “many Governmental departments exempt” from environmental responsibilities. Committee […]
How could a no-deal Brexit affect the UK’s low-carbon energy transition?
Brexit…love it or loathe it, there’s simply no getting away from it as the divorce deadline looms ever closer with as much confusion as ever (if not more) about what life after Brussels will look like for Britain.With all the debates and meetings going on, publicly and behind closed doors, it’s clearly impossible to keep […]
Budget 2018: The green economy announcements and reaction
In what is widely tipped to be the last budget before Brexit, the Chancellor made little mention of any major ‘green’ economic issues leaving the much-anticipated plastic tax the major announcement. Here for you to digest over a quick cuppa – not, we hope, from a disposable cup – is a round-up of key policy […]
Upholding environmental standards if there’s no Brexit deal
The government has issued guidance around the potential impact of a ‘no deal’ Brexit on environmental standards in the UK, affecting areas including waste, air quality, water, and protection of habitats and species. A large body of existing EU environmental law currently covers these areas and some of this legislation also delivers the UK’s commitments […]
UK to publish an Environment Bill
Measures to tackle air quality will be included in a new ‘ambitious’ Environmental Bill to be launched by the UK Government, Theresa May has announced. ‘Clean air will be part of that Environment Bill,” the Prime Minister said. ‘There hasn’t been an Environment Act since 1995, and so we want to bring forward an Environment […]
Brexit White Paper: Everything you need to know about the UK’s environmental aspirations
It’s understandable if large numbers of the UK population have switched off from the whole Brexit debate and the ‘will we, won’t we’ keep any ties at all to our European counterparts after March next year. A few ears seem to prick up when news of another resignation leaks out or former Cabinet members take […]
What policies will power post-Brexit Britain?
They say the only certainty in life is change – and within the myriad of discussions around Brexit and what might or might not happen, never a truer word has been spoken. We don’t know what post-Brexit Britain will look and feel like, but we do know it will be different. And that’s certainly the […]
Brexit Boasts Business As Usual For Building Services
The building services industry should assume that European regulations that currently affect the UK will still be in force immediately after Brexit in 2019, says CIBSE technical director Hywel Davies. ‘Brexit will change nothing immediately – at least in terms of legislation that affects our industry,’ said Davies, who supplied a list of regulations that […]
Why the UK is Better Off Inside the EU Internal Energy Market Post-Brexit
Access to the single energy market was one of the priorities identified by energy professionals during a Question Time-style debate hosted by The Energy Institute in relation to Brexit negotiations. KPMG head of power and utilities Simon Virley also believes the key negotiating point in relation to energy is continued access to the Internal Energy […]
Energy manifesto review
Syntegra energy sector manifesto review Energy costs and regulation plus attitudes to climate change and renewables feature in all the main political party manifestos for this week’s election. Here we offer Syntegra’s unbiased review of some of the key themes relating to this policy area plus a selection of comments from the Parties around their […]
General Election Impact on Planning
A general election on 8 June places a question mark over key forthcoming planning policy changes. The news of the poll comes with the Neighbourhood Planning Bill yet to receive Royal Assent, and revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework due to be published later this year. With the planning policy changes legislated for in […]
Brexit Quick Wins Sought For House Builders
The Home Builders Federation (HBF) is to be consulted by a cross-party group of MPs seeking a series of quick wins to boost business productivity on the back of Brexit. Lifting the burdens on the house building sector will be one of the areas politicians look at to see where EU regulations can be sidelined […]
Why the UK is Better Off Inside the EU Internal Energy Market Post-Brexit
Access to the single energy market was one of the priorities identified by energy professionals during a Question Time-style debate hosted by The Energy Institute in relation to Brexit negotiations. KPMG head of power and utilities Simon Virley also believes the key negotiating point in relation to energy is continued access to the Internal Energy […]
Business As Usual For Building Services
The building services industry should assume that European regulations that currently affect the UK will still be in force immediately after Britain leaves the European Union (EU) in 2019, says CIBSE technical director Hywel Davies. ‘Leaving the EU will change nothing immediately – at least in terms of legislation that affects our industry,’ said Davies, […]
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