ADD2803 - Readying London’s infrastructure for the future (area-based approaches and heat networks), and driving data innovation (built environment scanning system) - Signed

1.1.    The Mayoral mandate for the Upgrading London’s Infrastructure (ULI) programme and associated delivery plan was approved through Mayoral Decision (MD) 3382. This named the Assistant Director of Connectivity, Air Quality, Transport and Infrastructure as the approved senior responsible officer. 
1.2.    The ULI delivery plan aims to ensure that London has the energy, water, digital connectivity and data infrastructure in place to achieve the Mayor’s ambitious goals around net zero, climate resilience, housing delivery, and economic growth. It has four intervention strands: 
•    enabling the new infrastructure needed for housing and productivity
•    readying London’s infrastructure for the future
•    reducing disruption caused by infrastructure delivery
•    driving data innovation
1.3.    This Assistant Director Decision (ADD) requests approval to spend the budget allocated in the 2025-26 ULI Delivery Plan to deliver activities that support: 
•    Intervention 2: readying London’s infrastructure for the future
•    Intervention 4: driving data innovation. 
These activities contribute to supporting: 
•    whole-systems and area-based approaches to net-zero energy planning and delivery (project 2.1)
•    digital and data services (project 4.2). 
1.4.    The work will support wider objectives of readying London’s infrastructure for the future, and driving data innovation, including:
•    all London boroughs are engaged on local area energy planning (LAEP) approaches, by completing the sub-regional and phase two LAEPs
•    strategic heat networks are being developed across London in identified heat network zones; this is enabled by appropriate governance arrangements
•    area-based approaches are under way, to help deliver key net-zero technologies
•    key data services have been established and improved; these are being applied in real-world contexts to support Mayoral objectives, and meet stakeholders’ needs. 
1.5.    There are three work programmes within these intervention areas, under this ADD: 
•    an area-based decarbonisation programme
•    supporting coordination and delivery of heat networks
•    use of built environment scanning system (BESS) data. 
The background to each work programme is set out below. 

Area-based decarbonisation programme 
1.6.    The area-based decarbonisation programme is linked to the LAEP work undertaken by the GLA, London Councils, boroughs, utilities companies, and other stakeholders across London. This work is generating a data-rich energy planning evidence base; and identifying a whole-system pipeline of decarbonisation projects that need to move into delivery. There is a need to further support boroughs and other stakeholders to:
•    use this evidence effectively
•    develop more effective partnership working
•    use the best approaches to involving communities
•    take strategic action to increase the pace and scale of low-carbon project delivery. 
Supporting coordination and delivery of heat networks
1.7.    Heat networks are proposed across London by a variety of stakeholders. There is a need to support a more integrated approach to infrastructure planning in areas where multiple heat sources are competing, for example, the interface between planned heat network deployments and Gas Distribution Networks upgrades in a decarbonising energy landscape, to ensure efficient delivery and reduced disruption. The GLA will do this by developing an optimisation tool and evidence base, drawing on best practice examples that can be deployed in the sector.
Use of built environment scanning system data
1.8.    The GLA manages various digital tools, and maintains datasets, to support net zero. These include the LAEP DataHub; the Building Stock Model; and the Green Growth Pipeline. In 2025, the GLA invested in a new dataset focusing on the thermal performance and building-stock characterisation of around 1.6 million properties. To further develop this highly accurate dataset, and activate key use cases (i.e., support retrofit schemes, heat network delivery and electricity network reinforcement), the GLA must: 
•    integrate the dataset with existing energy data tools
•    engage key users on their data requirements
•    address information governance issues given the sensitive and licenced nature of the data. 
Given the expertise required for this work, the GLA will deliver it in partnership with the London Office of Technology and Innovation (LOTI). 
 

2.1.    The core London-level outcomes to which this programme will contribute are: 
•    London is a net-zero carbon city
•    stable, long-term economic growth benefits all of London’s communities.
2.2.    The objectives of the programme are linked with the ULI delivery plan, as detailed at paragraphs 2.3 and 2.4, below.

Intervention 2: readying London’s infrastructure for the future
Project 2.1 – Expected outcome: support whole-systems and area-based approaches to net-zero energy planning and delivery
2.3.    To support on the delivery of this outcome, proposed activities include:
•    area-based decarbonisation programme:
o    supporting eight London boroughs to advance phase two LAEPs, to generate energy-system evidence and add to the net-zero project pipeline
o    supporting TfL to investigate opportunities for energy storage, via grant funding, in order to produce evidence and help progress this project type
o    investigating utility capacity to help inform broad growth locations for the next London Plan, to leverage evidence on the energy system – and so better facilitate growth and net-zero project delivery
o    advancing coordination and design activities within the London Infrastructure Framework, to support project prioritisation, and delivery and promotion of final outputs
o    developing a strategic roadmap to accelerate the delivery of net-zero projects identified through LAEPs, underpinned by effective community-engagement guidance; this will ensure inclusive, area-based decarbonisation, including workshops, project support and use of demonstrator areas
•    supporting coordination and delivery of heat networks: 
o    developing a robust, evidence-based, and practical optimisation tool to help deliver infrastructure in areas with competing heat sources
Intervention 4: driving data innovation
Project 4.2 – expected outcome: building and supporting digital and data services
2.4.    To support on the delivery of this outcome, proposed activities include: 
•    using BESS data
•    stage-two development of BESS, including data cleaning and system integration with Warm Homes Local and Social grant schemes
•    using LOTI to help stakeholders make best use of BESS data; and ensure information governance is up to date and compliant and maximises stakeholder reach.
2.5.    As part of the funding conditions, the GLA will closely monitor the progress and impact of the funded activities throughout the funding period. This includes submitting progress reports covering: 
•    key performance indicators
•    progress against objectives
•    any emerging risks and mitigation strategies
•    planned next steps. 
These reports will be used for ongoing monitoring and evaluation purposes, to ensure the programme remains on track and delivers its intended outcomes.
 

3.1.    Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, the Mayor and GLA must comply with the public sector equality duty (PSED) and must have due regard to the need to:
•    eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act
•    advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not
•    foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not.
3.2.    The protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnership (but only in respect of the requirements to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination), race (ethnic or national origins, colour or nationality), religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex, and sexual orientation. 
3.3.    Consideration of the PSED is not a one-off task. The duty must be fulfilled before taking a decision, at the time of taking a decision, and after the decision has been taken, to ensure that equalities impacts are kept under ongoing review.
3.4.    The ULI delivery plan helps achieve several of the Mayor’s statutory equality objectives. Progress on delivery of these objectives is reported on each year in the Mayor’s Annual Equality Report.
3.5.    In line with the Mayor’s ambitions, this project aims to facilitate effective execution of retrofit and energy-infrastructure planning activities. Retrofitting homes – particularly in the context of the grant programmes this data will support – will help groups experiencing fuel poverty; and vulnerable people living in properties with poor energy-efficiency levels. 
3.6.    More broadly, deploying energy-infrastructure planning (particularly heat networks), will support reducing air pollution linked to fossil-fuel use in homes and for transport. These initiatives are targeted at wide, diverse groups. Through its LAEP work, the GLA is considering the impacts of the energy transition on diverse groups of Londoners. The GLA is also using wider datasets, such as socioeconomic data, to consider the impacts of net zero on fuel-poor and marginalised groups. Through the proposed area-based approaches workstream to implement LAEP recommendations, the GLA will work with boroughs to engage with communities directly.
3.7.    The Mayor is committed to ensuring the transition to a low-carbon city is fair and inclusive. Delivery of the net-zero project pipeline provides an opportunity to deliver benefits to all Londoners through job creation, improved public spaces, and better health outcomes. Involving Londoners in this process is essential to ensuring these benefits are shared fairly. Involving the whole community ecosystem in shaping solutions and delivery builds public trust; increases uptake of interventions; and supports social and racial justice. It avoids activity or approaches that may risk entrenching existing inequalities; and ensures long-term benefits.
 

Risk assessment 
4.1.    The table below covers risks related to this project:

Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities 
4.2.    This work links to the following Mayoral strategies and priorities: 

4.3.    No one involved in the drafting or clearance of this document has any conflicts of interest to declare.

5.1.    Approval is sought for expenditure in 2025-26 only, to deliver projects in MD3382, under: 
•    project group 2 – readying London’s Infrastructure for the future 
•    project group 4 – driving data innovation
 

* This figure includes budget adjustments made after MD3382 was signed off, to account for £169,000 being transferred from Environment for IWMS, as approved under DD2727 and ADD2787.

5.2.    Any additional funding secured for the programme will be used to enhance the programme, with the appropriate budget adjustments being made.

6.1.    The foregoing sections of this report indicate that the decisions requested of the Assistant Director of Connectivity, Air Quality, Transport and Infrastructure concern the exercise of the GLA’s general powers, falling within the GLA’s statutory powers to do such things considered to further, or that are facilitative of, or conducive or incidental to, the promotion of economic development and wealth creation, social development, and the improvement of the environment in Greater London. In formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought, officers have complied with the GLA’s related statutory duties to:  
•    pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people  
•    consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the UK  
•    consult with appropriate bodies.  
6.2.    In taking this decision, the Assistant Director of Connectivity, Air Quality, Transport and Infrastructure should have due regard to the PSED under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 – namely, the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act; and to advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations, between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not. This requirement is addressed at section 3, above. 
6.3.    Payments to London boroughs will be made under existing grant agreements. Any joint delivery activity with another organisation (including TfL, where applicable) will be governed by an appropriate agreement (anticipated to be a memorandum of understanding or, if required, a service agreement), and no expenditure will be committed unless and until such agreement is in place, in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code.
6.4.    Any grant funding received must comply with all applicable legal requirements, including (where relevant) the Subsidy Control Act 2022.
 

7.1.    This work will be delivered according to the following timetable: