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

Last week the Soho Society, a civic society “for all the people that have Soho in their lives” voted at its AGM for a new licensing mandate, meaning it will challenge all new applications for bars and restaurants in the area, including renewals of existing licences. It will also object to any venue that wishes to open beyond “core hours”, which Westminster council decrees end at 11pm. The society claims the area in central London has seen an intensification of nightlife and

Last week’s elections created a new patchwork of political control of local authorities across the country, reflecting our emerging five-party system. London is particularly striking in its new patchwork comprising all of the five parties, and most noticeably the number of Labour-controlled councils reduced from 21 to 8. While its all change for councils and their leadership, the challenges facing local authorities remain distinctly unchanged. And in the case of public infr

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

In response to the housing crisis facing London and across the country , a growing number of voices are calling for an uptick in housing density . A popular approach to this discourse is “ gentle density ”, a form of residential development which sits between high-rise, urban, apartment-style developments and low-rise, suburban housing. Advocates include Create Streets , who argue that gentle density is the 'missing middle' of place-making—a network of beautiful streets

Since launching Build for Health a year ago , I’ve been impressed with the quantity and quality of practitioners from across the built environment and health sectors that are actively exploring links between our built environment and our individual and collective health. Our first workshop in July demonstrated the breadth and depth of experience that these people bring to the challenge of building for health, and their commitment to seeing ideas made manifest. It's been

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

One of the reasons for launching Build for Health earlier this year and holding its first workshop in July was to work with a collective of built environment practitioners to forge consensus on practice in developing places that support good health. During this workshop and through our LinkedIn group we’ve shared and explored frameworks , tools , data , and design codes that have been developed to support practitioners in building for health. Implementation ha

Following the government’s cabinet reshuffle earlier this month, the new Housing minister, Steve Read, issued a “call to arms” to “build...

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...

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...

I’m recently back from a few weeks in San Francisco and, as tour guide to a group of first-time visitor friends I duly showcased the...

Last October, before the government’s autumn budget, I wrote a blog making a case that the UK is at an inflection point in housing and...

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

Does objecting to a new housing development in your local community, on the basis that no provision is made for new or expanded GP...

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

With a new year comes a media spotlight on self-improvement, “healthy ageing” and “longevity” feature highly in both social and...

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