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AN INNOVATIVE housing project in Renfrewshire will help to tackle climate change and could slash tenant's annual heating bills to £150. Renfrewshire Council's housing investment team has been given the green light to deliver a £4.5million retrofit of 75 terraced council houses. The popular 1960s-built Paisley crosswall construction properties are being given a retrofit to reduce their carbon emissions and improve...

OXFORD City Council sets out wide-ranging proposals to improve safety standards, crack down on rogue landlords and upgrade the energy efficiency of private rented houses. Taken together, the proposals would be the largest change to rules around private rented accommodation in Oxford for a decade – since the City Council introduced powers to licence every house in multiple occupancy in...

The UK is partnering with five African countries to mobilise private sector investment in quality, environmentally-friendly infrastructure projects, International Development Secretary Alok Sharma announced last week. Speaking at the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London and ahead of an infrastructure investment forum on 21 January, Mr Sharma said the UK will partner with Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda to design...

CHARGING points for electric vehicles are set to be installed at five locations across the High Peak in Derbyshire by spring this year. High Peak Borough Council says they are committed to improving air quality, protecting the environment and to providing car parking which meets the needs of residents so has teamed up with Derbyshire County Council and Nottingham City...

PEOPLE who live in more urban areas and spend less time in nature are also less likely to do things that help the environment, such as recycling and buying eco-friendly products. The finding of the new University of Exeter research indicates that policies to preserve and develop urban green spaces and support urban populations to reconnect with the nature around...

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is urging property and construction firms to make 2020 the year they commit to going green after a YouGov poll revealed that real estate employers may not be doing enough to reduce their operational impact on the environment. The survey – commissioned by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors - revealed that 34% of...

A SUCCESSFUL council scheme teaches energy-efficiency and offers fuel and energy advice to Angus residents. In 2013, through initial Big Lottery funding, Angus Council set up the Angus HEAT (Home Energy Assessment Team) Project, complimenting the existing SCARF (Save Cash and Reduce Fuel) service through the Energy Saving Scotland Advice Centre. The service is now funded by the Scottish Government. The...

LEADING councillors at Chichester District Council have taken a key step forward in the fight against climate change by officially adopting a first stage Climate Emergency Action Plan and recommending that the Council fund a new Climate Emergency Officer for the district. Following the announcement of a Climate Emergency in a Cabinet meeting last summer, the council's Environment Panel have...

SUSTAINABILITY, over-packaging and carbon footprints are of increasing importance to consumers, according to an Aston Business School academic. Figures released by the British Retail Consortium have revealed that total sales fell by 0.1% last year, marking the first annual sales decline since 1995. Heiner Evanschitzky, Professor of Marketing at Aston Business School, commented: “From the perspective of retailers, 2019 may well...

MATERIALS which could be used to help clean up the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear power stations have been developed by engineers at the University of Sheffield. The materials, produced by Dr Claire Corkhill and her team from the University’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, in collaboration with scientists in Ukraine, can simulate the Lava-like Fuel Containing Materials that are...