In August, we’ve continued to share our thoughts and expertise on the key themes currently influencing the built environment. In our podcasts, we covered SuDS and the gap between planning, Engineering and the reality of projects. For our monthly webinar, Toby Crayden shared his knowledge on Drainage Verification Reports, and last week we published an article on the changes being made to SAP calculations with the introduction of the Home Energy Model. This month we also saw the publication of the National Planning Policy Framework (2026). Our specialists came together to review the framework and give detailed thoughts on the changes it included, as well as the implications these changes mean for development strategy, plan-making and project delivery. Read on to catch up on all the latest…
The way energy performance is assessed in UK homes is entering a new phase. For many years, the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) has provided the framework through which residential developments have demonstrated compliance with Building Regulations and achieved Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). As the industry moves towards the introduction of the Future Homes Standard, the Home Energy Model (HEM) will become the new basis for assessing residential energy performance, marking an important step forward in how homes are evaluated.
Expected to be introduced during the second half of 2027 alongside the Future Homes Standard, HEM will initially run alongside SAP 10.3 during a transition period before becoming the sole method for demonstrating compliance and producing EPCs. While the change will introduce a new assessment process, it also signals a wider shift towards understanding how homes are expected to perform once people are actually living in them.
At the heart of the transition is a move towards a more representative understanding of how homes are expected to perform once occupied. The current SAP methodology is based on monthly averaged calculations, which have provided a robust and widely used framework for many years. HEM moves towards a dynamic modelling approach, enabling performance to be assessed in a way that more closely reflects the variations experienced throughout the year. This creates an opportunity to better understand how building fabric, energy systems and occupancy patterns interact over time, providing greater insight into the operational performance of a home.
Read more about the change to HEM in our latest article here.
The publication of the National Planning Policy Framework outlined the Government’s ambitions for plan-making, development delivery and long-term growth.
The update introduced a range of changes that will influence how local plans are prepared, how development proposals are assessed and how planning authorities, developers and infrastructure providers will be working together to bring forward sustainable developments in the coming years.
While some of the outline reforms are already underway, new additions introduce requirements and expectations that will shape decision-making across the planning system. Understanding these changes and what they mean in everyday terms will be important for developers, promoters, landowners and local authorities as we all continue to plan, promote and deliver projects.
We’re pleased to see a clear shift toward earlier consideration of constraints and opportunities, creating greater certainty at the plan-making stage and strengthening the emphasis on deliverability. An increased emphasis on evidence-led planning, collaboration, and long-term thinking is welcomed, although some deliverability challenges remain, with assessments based on how well developments contribute to the creation of sustainable, resilient and well-connected places.
Read our article to explore the most significant changes introduced through the latest NPPF and what they mean for development strategy, plan-making and project delivery in practice.
You can read more about this here.
On Wednesday last week, Toby Crayden, one of our Civil Engineering Technical Directors, hosted a lunchtime learning webinar session looking at Drainage Verification Reports.
With more than 35 years’ experience, Toby shared his knowledge on the topic, including:
If you missed it, watch back now via our YouTube channel.
In episode one of this month’s podcast episode, Richard Moorcroft and Lee Witts explore the relationship between planning and engineering, and the role early collaboration plays in creating greater delivery certainty.
They take a look at how planning strategies, infrastructure requirements, and technical considerations come together throughout the development lifecycle in practice, alongside approaches that help create more robust and deliverable schemes.
For episode two, Callum Parker, Associate Director, is joined by Katherine Peers, Senior Hydrologist, to discuss the evolving role of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and the lessons being learned from SuDS Approval Bodies (SABs) across Wales and England.
Catch up on all episodes of the Brookbanks Podcast via our YouTube channel for more expert insights across planning, engineering, development and infrastructure delivery.
In this webinar we explore where the two disciplines of acoustics and sustainability intersect in the healthcare sector. Using practical examples, Tom Quaife-Jones and Katie Glaze explain how early co ordination can improve improve performance, protect patient wellbeing and keep projects moving.
In September, we’ve continued to share our thoughts and expertise on the key themes currently influencing the built environment. In our podcasts, we covered the current policy initiatives HBF are in conversation with the government about as well as light gauge steel frame design and its differences and advantages over traditional structural materials. For our monthly webinar, Tom Quaife-Jones and Katie Glaze shared their knowledge on the growing challenge of reducing carbon and energy consumption while supporting wellbeing in healthcare environments.
The Government's announcement of the new Your First Home scheme has understandably attracted attention for its potential to help first-time buyers onto the property ladder. However, the most significant impact of the policy may lie elsewhere. The bigger question for the development industry is whether it can restore confidence across the housing delivery pipeline and provide a stimulus for new housing supply at a time when viability pressures continue to constrain development activity.