Moving Forward with ULEZ!
A high court challenge to the expansion of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) in London was struck down recently, meaning that from August 29th the entire London area will be under ULEZ and enforcing high emissions standards.
5 councils that had taken the expansion scheme to court had argued that the London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, had acted beyond his powers as mayor, he had failed to give enough consultation opportunities and provided a less-than adequate scrapple scheme to those who’s vehicles would be affected by the expansion. However, the judge presiding over the case found that although Khan didn’t go as far as he should have done, his actions in all cases were lawful.
The expansion of ULEZ has been a controversial topic for many within London. It is thought that the recent Uxbridge by-election was decided on concerns for the expanded ULEZ scheme with an anti-ULEZ Conservative keeping the seat blue ahead of Labour. A lot of that seems to have come from misinformation that everyone will be affected negatively but there will be a lot of health and environmental benefits for those living in London!
It is important to note what vehicles will be affected by the ULEZ expansion, and there’s a lot of information on the Transport for London website. Larger vehicles like HGVs, buses and lorries will not be charged under the ULEZ standards but are affected by the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) that is already in place. If you own a petrol vehicle that’s under 16 years old or a diesel vehicle under 6 years old there’s a very good chance that your vehicle meets the ULEZ standards and you won’t need to change your vehicle, but if you’re unsure the Transport for London do provide a vehicle checker you can use to be sure.
Constructing Germany’s First Net-Zero Neighbourhood!
A major regeneration project is taking place around Berlin’s Tegel aerodrome that will construct the world’s first net-zero neighbourhood! Named ‘Berling TXL’, the neighbourhood will be a walkable city meaning that everything residents need will be in a 5-minute walk of their homes.
All homes and commercial buildings will be built using low-carbon materials and novel construction methods that reduce emissions from construction, and will also be built with sustainability in mind, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and increasing building efficiency. As humans become increasingly urbanised, the importance in reducing emissions in towns and cities will become increasingly important.
World’s Largest Battery Energy Storage!
Planning permission for what will be the world’s largest battery energy storage scheme has been given for a site in Manchester! Costing £750million, the project will provide energy security for the Greater Manchester area and boost the region in its net-zero goals by 2038!
Currently the largest battery energy storage scheme is in California storing 400MW of electricity, but the new site in Manchester will be two and a half times bigger storing 1GW of electricity!
