In March 2012, the UK government significantly overhauled its national planning policy guidance. The publication of the National Planning Policy Framework required local planning authorities to amend their local planning decision policies to place sustainability at the heart of their development plans and to ensure that sustainability is a material consideration in the assessment of applications for the development of land.
Updated planning policies now encourage both regional and local planners considering new developments to use information about predicted climate change in ways that minimize vulnerability and build in resilience to those anticipated changes.
Developers are increasingly being required by local planning authorities, on an application and site-by-site basis, to incorporate and fund energy-efficiency and other green elements into their designs, and ensure green development in the area around the project. It is often a condition that the scheme include district heating systems and sustainable urban drainage systems as part of the design.
As noted above under the "Regulation" section, updates to the building regulations (which came into force in 2022 and relate to buildings in England), have introduced net zero-focused changes, including a new performance metric to measure energy efficiency, and changes to how onsite electricity generation systems are regulated. They also include a requirement for a 27% reduction in emissions from new, non-residential buildings.
Since January 2024, developers in England have been required to deliver a 10% "Biodiversity Net Gain" when constructing new housing, industrial or commercial projects, via, for example, new habitats and green spaces. Biodiversity Net Gain for small sites will be applicable from April 2024, and implementation for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects is planned for 2025.
The government has appointed 48 responsible authorities in England to lead in preparing a local nature recovery strategy for their area. Responsible authorities will work with other organizations and partners to agree on what should be included in their local nature recovery strategies. The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 introduces the requirement for plan-makers, at all tiers of planning, to take into account of consider relevant local nature recovery strategies with specific reference to the objectives and provisions outlined in the Environment Act 2021.
New developments and the environment will also benefit from a reduced risk of flooding and pollution thanks to a new approach to drainage. The government has committed to requiring sustainable drainage systems in new developments, with implementation expected in 2024.
London is leading the way in developing the Smart City initiative in the UK. Smart cities have the potential for businesses to plan efficient routes to transport goods, allow local authorities to create effective public health services and provide the public with real-time data access.