Social value the ‘golden thread’ underpinning sustainability Locked

Mott MacDonald’s UK social value technical director, Caron Dunlop, charts social value’s rise to prominence and why contractors are scrambling to embed its principles within procurement and project design

UK

Jacobs to manage legacy rail assets Locked

Dallas-headquartered consulting and technology group to manage Highways England’s 3,000 legacy rail assets

UK

Stantec to support nature-based wastewater treatment Locked

A contract for a nature-based wastewater treatment works has been won by a BarhaleDoosan joint venture supported by Stantec

UK

Government ‘failing’ on air quality Locked

Acknowledging strong targets set for carbon, a Defra select committee has called for tougher action to improve air quality

UK

Northern Ireland shifts towards renewables Locked

Strategic planning policy on renewable and low carbon energy to be reviewed in Northern Ireland

UK

Flood prevention dominates agency’s budget Locked

Flood and coastal defence work has protected over 300,000 homes from flooding in the past six years, says the Environment Agency

UK

Roads contracts last piece of LTC jigsaw Locked

In the final major contracts to be awarded, tenders worth £1.9bn have been announced for the Lower Thames Crossing’s approach roads

UK

Construction showing ‘spectacular’ recovery Locked

Orders, hiring and confidence are strong - especially in the commercial sector - but materials pricing is rising

UK

Trust calls for action on raw sewage Locked

Environment Agency data show ‘shocking’ number of incidents in which rivers are polluted by storm overflows, says the Rivers Trust

UK

£60bn offshore wind boom coming to UK Locked

The UK's offshore wind industry workforce set to treble in the next five years and attract more than £60bn in investment

Europe, Global, UK

North Sea Deal maps out energy transition Locked

North Sea Deal asks O&G sector to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030; government sets out £16bn in support

UK

Network Rail: License to create [habitat] Locked

Network Rail has signed an agreement to compensate for habitat loss for the great crested newt

UK

Commissioners take over Liverpool’s property and regeneration management Locked

Planning, regeneration and property management functions and are to be overseen by commissioners in the city

UK

London plan requires air quality positive Locked

The mayor’s long-awaited London Plan will require designers and developers to specify air quality improvement measures in large schemes

UK

Lords disappointed with progress on OEP Locked

Slow progress on setting up an environmental watchdog and drift between the devolved administration could be post-Brexit risks, says the House of Lords

UK

‘Circular economy’ good for health, equality and wellbeing Locked

A report urges environment professionals across the world to promote circular economy concepts more widely into impact assessment

Global, UK

The resilience dividend: Wood reveals roadmap to build back better

Peter Hall of Wood spoke at The Economist’s Sustainability Week about how his company is transforming its approach to infrastructure projects to ensure a more climate resilient outcome

Europe, Global, UK

Clarity needed on ESG in infrastructure investment Locked

While nearly all infrastructure investors identify ESG performance as vital in making investment decisions, standardisation of criteria is needed

Global, UK

‘Polluter pays’ principle carried over from EU Locked

Campaigners and professional bodies have broadly welcomed five core environment principles announced by government

UK

HS2 reveals Colne Valley chalk grassland rewilding Locked

HS2 – with support from Jacobs and LDA Design – plans to use excavated chalk and soil to to create new habitats next to HS2’s Colne Valley viaduct and Chilterns tunnels

UK

Telford Homes tops UK’s greenest housebuilders Locked

Telford Homes named the UK’s most sustainable home builder in an industry benchmark scheme

UK

Expert Opinion: Can social value help the public purse invest for a better future? Locked

The new model for government procurement promises to help the nation ‘build back better’, but delivering on its full potential will require a shift in mindset from service buyers and procurement teams

UK

Private sector beckons for Amey Consulting Locked

Amey Consulting’s Oliver Treasure discusses why the E&S unit is playing an increasingly important role in Amey’s projects, and why the private sector beckons for the E&S team

UK

Good regulation underpins green revolution Locked

The UK is a world-leader in setting environmental standards, says Environment Agency chair, Emma Boyd. But good regulation is vital

UK

Drax shifts to renewables and carbon capture Locked

Drax is to apply to build a new bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) facility in North Yorkshire

UK

Flagship ‘green bank’ heads budget Locked

An infrastructure bank with £22bn of financial capacity was announced in the budget, the UK’s first green bonds issue worth up to £15bn

UK

Expert Opinion: Is the UK sleepwalking into a PFAS contamination nightmare? Locked

The co-author of the Emerging Contaminants Handbook, and Tetra Tech’s recently appointed technical director and global PFAS practice lead Ian Ross, discusses how the DuPont settlement and recent tightening of standards by the DWI will impact the UK

UK

Shapps mulls review of national networks NPS on climate grounds Locked

Speculation grows that the government may review the national networks NPS and reduce the scale its £27bn second road investment strategy (RIS2) on climate grounds ahead of COP26

UK

Government ticks NIC boxes on net zero Locked

The National Infrastructure Commission has published a ten-point plan for achieving carbon net zero in its annual monitoring report

UK

Arup helps HS2 Phase 2a to royal assent Locked

The legislation enabling the construction of the western extension of HS2 required complex and detailed environmental assessments from over 2,000 staff

UK