Planning experts have warned that England could continue building homes and other buildings that dangerously overheat during heatwaves unless planning rules are strengthened and climate protections are prioritised. The concern matters because overheating poses a direct risk to health, especially for older and vulnerable people, and comes as research suggests about 2,700 people died during the May and June heatwaves in England and Wales. The warning also highlights a gap between councils’ stated ambitions on climate adaptation and what is actually being required in local development plans.

The Royal Town Planning Institute and the Town and Country Planning Association found that only about half of local plans require cooling or ventilation strategies for new buildings, and only around a quarter of councils use a recognised tool to secure green infrastructure such as trees and waterways. Experts said the government’s future homes standard, due to apply from 2028, may not go far enough because it does not cover buildings such as schools, hospitals and care homes and does not require features like external shading. They also raised concerns about office-to-home conversions under permitted development rights, noting that a London survey found 14% of roughly 120,000 such homes had no openable windows, while a separate Woodland Trust report said more than 11 million people in the UK live in areas with less than 10% tree shade.