Eighty-three per cent of Britain’s cities – 59 urban areas – are classed as highly vulnerable to urban heat in new spatial analysis by Ordnance Survey, the Met Office and 4 Earth Intelligence. The dataset combines OS building footprints, surface cover and green space with Met Office temperature projections to map local heat exposure at street-block scale. For civil and geotechnical engineers, this points to urgent retrofit of shading, permeable and high-albedo surfaces, and revised pavement and rail design to cope with more frequent extreme surface temperatures.

EDF’s Hinkley Point C nuclear project has applied for permission to appeal a tribunal decision that would bring the 3.2GW plant under Environmental Information Regulations, forcing greater disclosure of environmental data. The ruling, won by campaigners, could require release of detailed monitoring on coastal impacts, cooling water abstraction and construction emissions from major works such as the 900m seawater intake tunnels. Designers, contractors and consultants on similar large infrastructure schemes may face tighter scrutiny over environmental modelling assumptions, baseline data and ongoing performance reporting.

Galliford Try’s environment business has secured a £110M contract from Severn Trent Water to deliver the River Mease improvement project, targeting water quality upgrades on the protected River Mease catchment in the Midlands. Works are expected to centre on wastewater treatment enhancements, sewer network upgrades and nature-based solutions to cut nutrient loading into this Special Area of Conservation. The scale of the programme signals significant opportunities for geotechnical input on riverbank stabilisation, outfall structures and construction in sensitive, high-groundwater environments.