Over the last six months I’ve written twice about data centres, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities that they present to local communities and the trends that are developing in the discourse around them. The most visible and audible trend -- community-led resistance to data centres – is accelerating -- and, according to The Economist, the backlash is just getting started: "The fiercest fights so far have been in America, where protests against data centres h

The record heat in the UK last week inspired lots of discussion about its impact on our health – with particular focus on how our built environment – homes, workplaces, schools, hospitals and transport infrastructure - are ill-suited to extreme heat and harming our health. This has led to animated discussion on the need for air conditioning in our buildings, with heated (!) exchanges over why we don’t have air conditioning in UK homes and, inevitably, to our overly regulat

Earlier this year, I decided to push my boundaries in listening to locals, and agreed to stand in the May local elections as a Conservative candidate for Richmond Council in SW London, representing the area where I live, Mortlake & Barnes Common. I had three motivations. First, I live adjacent to a major redevelopment site (the largest in Richmond and one of the largest in London) which has finally received planning consent after more than a decade of negotiation and a seri

What’s the largest charitable organisaton in the UK? Measured by assets, it’s the Wellcome Trust , whose mission is to “ bring together expertise from across science, innovation and society to generate new knowledge and find equitable solutions to improve life, health and wellbeing” The Wellcome Trust is funded by the returns from its massive, diverse investment portfolio , which originated from a gift in the will of pharmaceutical entrepreneur Sir Henry Wellcome, making

News about data centres seems to be everywhere in recent weeks and months, reflecting a spectrum of views ranging from their absolute necessity as critical infrastructure to their inherent threats to our environment and wellbeing . There are approximately 500 data centres in the UK , with growth projected at 20% over the next five years , driven by AI and cloud computing. The Times reported last weekend that nearly 100 centres are currently going through planni

Two weeks ago over 1000 people gathered at the O2 centre in London to launch a growth agenda for the UK. Looking for Growth (LFG) describes itself as “a political movement to push Britain out of decline. We build, we pressure politicians, we influence policy, we organise, co-ordinate and improve Britain, bit by bit”. Amongst speeches and panel discussions delivered over the course of the evening, an announcement was made about a separate initiative which embodies the ambit

The Aylesbury estate is in the London Borough of Southwark. It was built between 1963 and 1977, and is one of the largest public housing...

On a beautiful summer evening last Tuesday, fifty-odd leaders and practitioners from the built environment, health provision, public...

At a time of change and uncertainty in housing, planning and health policy, robust data gives us the anchor we need to understand what is...

The push for economic growth continues to dominate government policy across multiple agendas, including climate and housing, and local...

Martin Prince-Parrott, the author of recently published Urban Healthonomics, is a man on a mission. He’s also a walking contradiction....

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has” ...

There’s an area in the northeast of England where planners, health providers, arts organisations and local government are collaborating...

Happy new year! Here’s hoping that sincere wishes for happiness and prosperity in 2025 are met with acknowledgment of some significant...

It wasn’t long ago that these words would look out of place in the same sentence. Why should property developers care about health, or...

On April 15, 2019 the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris was severely damaged in a devastating fire – and this week, five years on, its...

On Tuesday this week, World Toilet Day was celebrated across the world – laugh if you want, but it’s a long-established event led by...

Since my return last month from Uganda and my blog about how participation in music making has impacted the health of local communities...

As preventative health features prominently in the government’s agenda and in particular as a focus for improving the NHS , I’m...

In the wake of Lord Darzi’s report on the NHS , the IPPR report on the nation’s health , and the government’s renewed focus on...