News

Emergence of AI over 75 years… Although it’s commonly thought that AI has only been around for the past decade, its origins date back to the 1950s! At that time, its use was largely confined to universities and research laboratories, however, by the 1990s, its influence was extending into the commercial sphere through search engines, […]

The government has launched a new consultation on proposals to introduce new Permitted Development Rights (PDRs) for temporary, low impact ground investigations and surveys that support electricity network infrastructure in England. The consultation is now open and closes at 11.59pm on the 4th of September. If introduced, the changes could allow certain boreholes, trial pits, […]

On 27 July 2026, the Planning Inspectorate updated several of its NSIP advice pages following changes to the Planning Act 2008 (introduced by the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025), which came into force on 24 July 2026. The change has been well publicised: the statutory pre-application consultation requirements have been removed. But what does this […]

The new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) has been published today, bringing some important changes for renewable energy and the way energy and climate considerations are addressed through planning.The direction of travel is clear: planning policy is being strengthened to support the delivery of renewable and low carbon infrastructure. The key changes include… – Greater weight […]

Could Energy Assessments help save Thousands of Trees Since the late nineteenth century, the use of fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transport, and of course deforestation, changes in land use, agriculture, and manufacturing and industrial processes have led to an increase in the earth’s average surface temperature. Frequent and intense heatwaves, changing rainfall patterns, […]

The UK has made great strides in developing its renewable energy technology over the past decade. Wind farms now generate a significant proportion of Britain’s electricity, helping to reduce carbon emissions and strengthening energy security. But despite this success there is a problem: we are increasingly generating clean electricity that our energy grid cannot fully […]

The Planning Inspectorate has launched a new interactive map showing the boundaries of current and forthcoming Development Consent Orders (DCO) projects. This should make it more straightforward to understand where nationally significant infrastructure might influence future development. If you’re promoting residential, commercial or mixed-use land, it’s worth asking: – Is your site within or close […]

Climate change remains the major challenge of our time. Since the late nineteenth century, Earth’s average surface temperature has increased by approximately 1.2 to 1.3 degrees, largely because human activities release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The use of fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transport is still the primary reason for our planet’s rising […]

As temperatures across the UK and Europe continue to reach unprecedented levels, the impact of extreme heat is increasingly becoming a concern for operators of critical infrastructure networks. From power distribution challenges and transport disruptions to reduced energy generation capacity, the penny is beginning to drop that climate resilience is no longer a future consideration […]