{"id":1053510,"date":"2026-06-27T13:02:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T13:02:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1053510\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T13:02:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T13:02:22","slug":"new-plan-unveiled-for-making-london-heat-ready-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1053510\/","title":{"rendered":"New plan unveiled for making London ‘heat ready’"},"content":{"rendered":"

A change in guidance for developers around installing air conditioning is now being discussed at City Hall, reports Kumail Jaffer, Local Democracy Reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"SadiqSadiq Khan at the launch event for the London Heat Plan (credit GLA)<\/p>\n

Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan is leaning towards removing guidance in the new London Plan that effectively blocks air conditioning from being installed in newbuild homes, after previously declining to rule out a change.<\/p>\n

While City Hall insists there\u2019s no ban on AC in London homes, the guidance for developers \u2013 instructing them to prioritise \u201cpassive\u201d cooling measures such as shading \u2013 means they are less likely to include AC in building plans as it could make it easier for councils to refuse applications.<\/p>\n

However, City Hall has faced calls<\/a> to reform such guidance, especially with the new London Plan due out next month, amid continually soaring temperatures in the capital.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the launch of \u2018Heat Ready London\u2019 last Thursday (25th), a new city-wide plan to adapt to increasingly frequent and severe heatwaves, Khan gave his strongest hint yet that a change is on the cards.<\/p>\n

Admitting that developers have to use \u201cevery tool\u201d to ensure buildings are fit for the future, he told the LDRS: \u201cDevelopers can install, and they\u2019re encouraged to install, air conditioning in homes and schools, in offices and so forth, as well as other additional measures as well such as bigger windows.<\/p>\n

\u201c[We also] think about heat pumps that provide heat in the winter and coolness in the summer, trees that provide shading, water fountains outside. We\u2019re thinking about how buildings are designed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got to use every tool in the toolkit to make sure our buildings are [not only] fit for today, but tomorrow as well. What I can\u2019t do is pre-judge the new London Plan for obvious reasons [by saying whether or not the guidance will change].\u201d<\/p>\n

Deputy mayor Mete Coban added: \u201cWhat we think is really important is at the design of any infrastructure, whether it\u2019s homes, whether it\u2019s a transport system, whatever, is that we can create the right level of shading in homes.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if obviously you need air conditioning to keep cool \u2013 we\u2019re not against that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we do want [to do with] this is make sure our homes are designed properly so that they\u2019re actually cooler in hot temperatures like this, but also warmer when it\u2019s really cold as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you\u2019re not having to fork out lots of money on your energy because you have to power your air conditioning, but of course, if you need to use it, you can, as well as using any of the cool spaces we have around the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coban added that London \u201chas been a blueprint\u201d for other cities with the existing London Plan, in terms of its environmental measures, reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and finding ways to ensure homes are the right temperature.<\/p>\n

The current regulations say the use of air conditioning is not \u201cdesirable as these have significant energy requirements and, under conventional operation, expel hot air, thereby adding to the urban heat island effect\u201d. If such systems are \u201cunavoidable\u201d, developers must design them in order to \u201creuse\u201d any waste heat produced.<\/p>\n

Similarly, the London Climate Resilience Review recommends that \u201cmechanical ventilation is prioritised over air conditioning\u201d.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, however, the London Assembly\u2019s planning and regeneration committee was told that active and passive cooling measures should work together, rather than in a hierarchy.<\/p>\n

For now, however, City Hall officials say they are focusing on preparing the capital for rocketing temperatures. Measures in the Heat Ready Plan unveiled today include retrofitting high-risk homes, increasing urban greening and expanding access to cool spaces \u2013 places highlighted on a map where you can go to cool down \u2013 across London.<\/p>\n

However, Khan admitted the measures will require significant investment, and suggested he may look to the government for the funding needed to properly carry it out.<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cWe know the consequences of the heatwave. There are a million homes in the areas where they suffer extreme heat. There are 1,600 schools that suffer extreme heat, along with 250 hospitals and 350 care homes \u2013 so action is required.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the resources can come from current pledges but there may be the need for additional expenditure.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero declined to comment.<\/p>\n

Green Party leader and assembly member Zack Polanski told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: \u201cI welcome the mayor publishing a heat plan, which is a step above the government\u2019s dangerously complacent \u2018wing-it\u2019 approach to planning for extreme weather. But the mayor\u2019s plan doesn\u2019t go far enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis plan lacks the funding, timelines and urgency needed to meet the scale of the challenge. We cannot afford to wait years for long-term solutions while people suffer through increasingly dangerous heatwaves.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need an emergency effort now to help households, businesses, schools, care homes and hospitals stay safe, with practical measures that can be put in place immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n

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