Parliamentarians, councils and industry representatives have met at Westminster to discuss the growing number of fires linked to discarded lithium-ion batteries, amid calls for stronger regulation and government support. A cross-sector group of parliamentarians, local government representatives and industry figures met at the House of Commons last week to discuss the increasing number of fires caused by improperly disposed lithium-ion batteries. The round-table was sponsored by Alistair Strathern and co-hosted by North London Waste Authority and Electrical Safety First. Attendees included representatives from waste management companies, the third sector, retail and the London Fire Brigade. Lithium-ion batteries, commonly found in
UK housing delivery is facing a policy-and-performance squeeze as planning permissions for new homes reportedly fall 21% in the latest quarter to a record low.
The decline exposes a central challenge for sustainable construction: decarbonising the built environment depends on homes being consented, built and connected to infrastructure under enforceable standards for whole life carbon, embodied carbon, operational energy and climate resilience.
Any renewed push for council housebuilding must prioritise whole life carbon assessment, lifecycle assessment and life cycle cost from the outset, with sustainable building design, low carbon design and net zero whole life carbon treated as delivery requirements, not optional enhancements.
Major public-sector estates are becoming critical test beds for environmental sustainability in construction. The consultation on a rebuilt St Mary’s Hospital and expanded Paddington life sciences campus will be judged on whether it can deliver net zero carbon buildings, energy-efficient buildings and low carbon building performance in assets known for high power, cooling and materials demand. Credible schemes should align with BREEAM and emerging BREEAM v7 expectations, quantify the carbon footprint of construction, reduce embodied carbon in materials, use environmental product declarations (EPDs), specify low embodied carbon materials and adopt circular economy in construction principles through resource efficiency in construction and end-of-life reuse in construction.
The government’s £79m support for tree planting and local nature recovery strengthens the link between green infrastructure and sustainable urban development. Nature-based cooling, drainage, biodiversity and flood resilience are becoming central to sustainable building practices, eco-design for buildings and low-impact construction. Developers relying on green construction, eco-friendly construction, renewable building materials, green building materials and green building products will need to demonstrate measurable carbon footprint reduction, circular construction strategies and robust building lifecycle performance. The direction of travel is clear: sustainability in construction is shifting towards evidence-led sustainable architecture, sustainable material specification and carbon neutral construction grounded in life cycle thinking in construction.
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