News
Planning, development and environmental consultancy updates.
Read practical EnviroSolution articles covering planning conditions, contaminated land, coal mining risk, drainage, asbestos, ecology, energy assessment and other technical topics affecting UK development projects.
RPS 302 update adds notification step for selected low-risk impounding works
The Environment Agency has amended RPS 302 to require advance notification for three categories of low-risk impounding activity, while aligning its general conditions with RPS 374.
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Thornton-Cleveleys blood tests intensify scrutiny of Hillhouse PFAS investigation
New blood-test findings from residents near the Hillhouse chemical site have added a human-health dimension to the ongoing investigation into historic PFOA releases in Thornton-Cleveleys.
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Parliamentary answer reinforces asbestos assurance across imported product supply chains
A written answer confirms continued market surveillance and border activity on asbestos-contaminated products, with 69 recalls linked to OPSS and local-authority action. For buyers and suppliers, the immediate issue is evidence-led supply-chain assurance rather than a newly announced import-control regime.
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GMCA awards North West flood-resilience engagement contract to Newground CIC
Greater Manchester Combined Authority has moved from procurement to delivery on a regional service designed to help flood-affected and at-risk communities engage with the organisations responsible for managing flood and coastal risks.
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UKGBC launches housing framework centred on long-term place outcomes
UKGBC’s new Regenerative Places Framework for Housing gives housebuilders, local authorities and retrofit teams a voluntary structure for joining up environmental, social and economic outcomes from the earliest stages of a project.
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Pinewood data-centre objection tests scrutiny of long-term on-site generation
A Stoke Poges Parish Council objection to the Pinewood Nurseries outline application focuses on a proposed 49.5MW gas-fired energy centre and 43 diesel generators. The case arrives as Scotland directs EIA for new data centres exceeding 50MW, highlighting growing expectations for robust evidence on operational emissions, noise and grid constraints.
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HSE introduces temporary enforcement-notice register during database upgrade
HSE has launched a temporary register of improvement and prohibition notices while technical changes are made to its main public database. Construction, asbestos and supply-chain due-diligence checks should now include both sources.
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Government reiterates asbestos controls for imported products after 69 recalls
A parliamentary answer confirms that businesses placing products on the UK market remain responsible for preventing asbestos contamination, with 69 recalls linked to enforcement activity by product-safety regulators and local authorities, including at the border.
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United Utilities fined £900,000 over Fylde Coast sewage spill: what the case means for wastewater asset management
United Utilities Water Limited has been fined £900,000, plus costs, after admitting five environmental-permit offences arising from sewage discharges along Lancashire’s Fylde Coast in June 2023. The case underlines the regulatory importance of resilient assets, defensible spill data and well-rehearsed incident controls.
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West Cannock mine-water scheme advances as temporary treatment becomes central to pumping test
The Mining Remediation Authority has named J.N. Bentley Limited for a £1.58m West Cannock pumping test and temporary treatment project, subject to contract signature. The scheme reflects the need to manage elevated zinc before mine water can be discharged to a local watercourse.
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PFOS pilot findings sharpen scrutiny of Thames Water’s Teddington drought scheme
Pilot testing for Thames Water’s proposed Teddington Direct River Abstraction has identified rapid PFOS breakthrough in a carbon-treatment process, raising important design, permitting and monitoring questions ahead of a planned development consent application in early 2027.
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Environment Agency sets 2026 reservoir safety research agenda around climate resilience, monitoring and AI
The Environment Agency has published its Reservoir Safety Research Strategy 2026, identifying the evidence gaps likely to influence future reservoir regulation, engineering practice and asset management. The strategy is not new law, but it gives owners, engineers and developers a clear view of the technical issues expected to shape the sector.
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