New developments in parts of London earmarked as Heat Network Priority Areas should be designed to hook up to future connections, according to the capital’s new plan
The London Plan says where schemes are currently beyond the reach of existing heat networks, connections to future extensions should be facilitated.
This could include allocating space in plant rooms for heat exchangers, safeguarding suitable routes for pipework and making provision for connections at the site boundary, according to the blueprint for the capital’s development that has been put out for a three-month consultation by London mayor, Sadiq Khan.
The document says the mayor is taking a “more direct role” in the delivery of heat networks so that more new and existing communally-heated developments will be able to connect into them.
The plan says developments should connect to existing heat networks “wherever feasible”.
The mayor has identified a number of Heat Network Priority Areas, where densities are high enough for networks to provide a competitive solution for supplying heat to buildings and consumers, across the capital.
The plan also says that London will need to shift from its current reliance on using natural gas as its main energy source to a more diverse range of low and zero-carbon sources, including renewable energy, as part of the mayor’s drive to cut the capital’s carbon emissions.