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The London Docklands Development Corp (LDDC), created in 1981, had considerable powers to determine approaches to planning in the area. This was particularly the case at the Isle of Dogs, which was designated an Enterprise Zone, thus exempting it from local democratic control over land use. The LDDC tended to link planning closely with marketing, focusing on attracting catalysts to key sites that would then create the basis for the rest of the development in a particular area.

by Roger Milne The multi-billion pound gas mains replacement programme is set to be reviewed and could be scaled back, Utility Week understands. Steve Smith, Ofgem's senior partner responsible for [...]

by Roger Milne The Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) expects new nuclear generation to come on line in 2021, not 2018 as assumed a year ago, according to [...]

by Roger Milne The latest government-commissioned assessment of UK electricity generation costs said gas was the cheapest near-term baseload option. 'Third generation' nuclear plant will only come into its own [...]

by Roger Milne The most extensive trial yet of heat pumps in the UK has raised questions about current government policy, which anticipates a major role for the technology in [...]

by Roger Milne Utilities were braced this week for a change of government that would signal a major shake-up in energy regulation and the dismantling of the newly established Infrastructure [...]

by Roger Milne Customers could benefit to the tune of [pounds sterling]50 million over 15 years if National Grid was allowed to convert one of its 'feeder' pipelines into the [...]

by Roger Milne Ofgem has confirmed its intention to carry out a wide-ranging review of competitive metering arrangements. The regulator is consulting on the scope of the exercise, which was [...]

by Roger Milne National Grid has developed a range of mobile communications-based smart meters that its OnStream metering business has described as the smartest on the*market. They comprise an electricity [...]

by Roger Milne Parliament has given the thumbs down to the government's draft suite of energy National Policy Statements (NPSs) and called for major improvements to make them 'fit for [...]

By Roger Milne The operator of Drax, Britain's biggest power station, insisted this week that it would be technically and economically feasible to switch the plant's 4GW of generation capacity [...]

by Roger Milne Energy retailers have been caught in a pincer movement by Ofgem and the government over the time limit - currently up to 65 days after the event [...]

by Roger Milne Climate change minister Joan Ruddock has told Parliament that the government has no plans to intervene in the carbon market by setting a price floor. She spelt [...]

by Roger Milne The government wants to use data matching to target households and individuals for more purposes than the fuel poverty issues currently planned. Fuel poverty minister David Kidney [...]

by Roger Milne The government has revealed that further intervention in the electricity market, which might involve underpinning the carbon price, is under consideration. This was recommended last year by [...]

by Roger Milne Ministers should be prepared to intervene in the market and set a regulatory framework explicitly designed to encourage low-carbon investment, Parliament told government this week. The proposals [...]

Shadow without a doubt Charles Hendry, shadow energy minister, criticises government indecision on energy policy and tells Roger Milne what the Conservatives will do if they take power. Pic: apparently [...]

Organisations are responding to the government's consultation on a smart meter rollout and not everyone is happy. Gas networks, especially, question whether the government has got a handle on costs [...]

by Roger Milne Ofgem has created a new business unit to handle administration of its expanding environmental workload. The initiative is an important part of a reorganisation announced this week [...]

by Roger Milne Regulator Ofgem has strongly denied industry claims that allowing it to intervene directly in the way the sector sets its technical and commercial rules would give it [...]

Collectively, electricity distribution network operators (DNOs) would be allowed revenues of £21.5 billion over the next five years, according to Ofgem's initial proposals for the upcoming price control period. This [...]

by Roger Milne Ofgem has put domestic energy suppliers on notice over their debt practices after the latest figures compiled by the regulator showed significant increases in weekly debt repayments, [...]

by Roger Milne Energy suppliers have clashed with a consumer champion over the benefits of smart meters. The row, between the Energy Retail Association (ERA) and Which? surfaced as the [...]

The silly season is on hold as Vestas, offshore energy tax, fuel poverty and water all make waves Parliament has now started its long summer recess but political life has [...]

The aim of Ofgem's Consumer First initiative was to find ways of putting the consumer at the heart of policy. Roger Milne examines the solutions that it has come up [...]

Wales & West Utilities chief Graham Edwards tells Roger Milne the company's success is down to honest hard work Wales & West Utilities Wales & West Utilities (WWU) - formerly [...]

Water customer watchdog the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) has criticised the sector's plans to combat sewer flooding and has called on Ofwat to take a tougher stance in the [...]

Communities and Local Government, the Whitehall department in charge of planning in England, has a relatively new section called the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Division. It is responsible for the Infrastructure [...]

by Roger Milne The government has started consulting on its proposed levy on electricity suppliers to fund up to four projects demonstrating carbon capture and storage (CCS). The levy would [...]

by Roger Milne Ofgem has softened its plans to ban automatic contract rollovers for small business customers, after opposition from the big six energy suppliers and a number of smaller, [...]

by Roger Milne The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) is considering challenging the government's decision to allow redevelopment of the Oval cricket ground despite the safety regulator's concern over the [...]

Ofgem wants to force energy suppliers to end 'unfair pricing' by making tariffs cost-reflective, but will the change result in lower prices or will it take away the companies' ability [...]

These are dark times for the government, and the Labour Party's authority is on the wane For the Prime Minister, the old saw about a week in politics probably needs [...]

by Roger Milne Consumer Focus this week backed Ofgem's decision to crack down on unfair pricing. The initiative has been heavily criticised by former regulators and competition academics, and the [...]

by Roger Milne Ofgem is facing a barrage of criticism from the regulation and competition establishment over the centrepiece of its price-probe remedies, which has prompted George Yarrow to take [...]

The expenses scandal has claimed a high-profile casualty in the guise of a former environment minister Former environment minister Elliot Morley's political career and parliamentary authority has been holed below [...]

Parliamentary expenses are not the only talking point in Westminster: energy still looms large Energy minister Mike O'Brien has revealed that the government's long-promised renewable energy strategy is proving a [...]

A report commissioned by the government has shown that the UK has the world's sixth largest low-carbon and environmental goods and services (LCEGS) sector. Only the US, China, Japan, India [...]

Amid the flurry of welcome from industry and consumer groups to the government's latest announcement on smart metering, let's not forget that all we actually have is yet another consultation. [...]

by Roger Milne National Grid's metering arm has commissioned an independent safety assessment after the discovery of a serious safety problem potentially affecting thousands of meters and the properties where [...]

by Roger Milne Electricity distribution network operators (DNOs) could play a key role in the government's proposed renewable heat and energy efficiency strategy, ministers have confirmed. Last week, the administration [...]

by Roger Milne Energy and climate change minister Joan Ruddock has signalled that urgent action is required to address some of the concerns highlighted in last week's critical report by [...]

by Roger Milne Domestic energy suppliers should focus on existing customers more than on acquiring new ones, and reward loyal customers with bonuses or help them save energy, Ofgem's consumer [...]

by Roger Milne Barring more eleventh-hour problems, Russian gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine were due to resume on Tuesday, after Utility Week went to press, after a deal was [...]

by Roger Milne Energy suppliers are not best placed to persuade more customers to switch to paying by direct debit because they are not trusted to provide impartial advice, government [...]

A new parliamentary session starts this week, with water and marine policies in the spotlight This week, the new parliamentary session dawns with slightly less legislation affecting utilities than the [...]

Planning: we are not out of the woods yet Understandably, ministers and the utilities heaved a collective sigh of relief last week as the Planning Bill became the law of [...]

by Roger Milne Ofgem chief executive Alistair Buchanan has voiced serious concerns about the financial position of some energy companies in the wake of the credit crunch. He made it [...]

by Roger Milne Community level distributed heat and power generation - supported by feed-in tariffs and renewable heat incentives - could cut nearly two-thirds of UK household carbon dioxide emissions [...]

by Roger Milne The government this week stepped up pressure on the big six energy suppliers to reduce domestic bills as soon as possible and to end unfair tariffs. Energy [...]