The UK government has a bold ambition to deliver 1.5 million new homes while helping to deliver on net-zero targets. Recently, RLB’s Head of Sustainability Heather Evans attended a Construction News roundtable to discuss the challenges and opportunities for mixed-use development. Here, she reflects on the key takeaways.
Mixed-use development will be essential to meeting the governments aggressive target while staying on track for net zero. We must move beyond traditional, single-use development models and embrace large, intelligently planned mixed-use schemes that integrate homes, workplaces, retail, infrastructure and energy systems from the outset.
Delivering such projects is rarely a smooth process. Density alone does not deliver sustainability outcomes, system integration does. This is about systems thinking and designing places where buildings, energy, technology and communities function as an interconnected whole.
Scale creates flexibility and resilience
Large mixed-use sites offer something smaller schemes cannot: flexibility across market cycles and adaptability over time, and predictability for investors and local authorities. Diversified uses allow developers to respond to fluctuations in residential, office, industrial or high-tech demand.
When designed holistically, large schemes can embed district energy networks, optimise land use and transport connectivity, integrate biodiversity and green infrastructure at scale and phase development in line with evolving standards and technologies.
To meet housing and sustainability commitments, scale must be leveraged strategically. Not simply to build more, but to build smarter.
Net zero requires data, not assumptions
One of the most significant shifts we are seeing is the growing role of operational data in closing the gap between design intent and real-world performance.
ESG data platforms are enabling asset-level and portfolio-level tracking of energy, water and waste performance across complex estates.
We can no longer rely on design-stage modelling alone. Performance must be measured continuously, benchmarked transparently and optimised dynamically. This is where post-occupancy evaluation and estate scale monitoring play a transformational role.
Residential vs commercial: the behaviour divide
Commercial tenants and institutional investors increasingly understand long-term operational savings and asset resilience. Residential buyers, however, often face upfront cost pressures and limited understanding of long-term energy performance.
Until homeowners trust the data and see a clear return on investment sustainable technologies will be perceived as cost premiums rather than value drivers. Without trusted performance data, homeowners dace risk-averse decisions…and the potential of higher bills. Bridging that trust gap is fundamental to achieving both affordability and net zero.
With the upcoming Future Homes Standard likely to reduce domestic energy demand, we must still ask “what is the optimal level of eco-technology investment at scale?” Solar PV, batteries, smart controls and heat pumps all add cost, but without integration and education, they risk underperformance.
Technology only works in well-designed, well-constructed envelopes. Air source heat pumps do not fail because of the technology; they fail in poorly insulated buildings.
Technology must be integrated not bolted on
The pace of technological change presents another challenge. Younger generations expect buildings to be connected, smart, energy transparent and climate responsive.
Large mixed-use developments offer a unique opportunity to embed technology ecosystems from day one, integrating HVAC, appliances, monitoring systems and software into a coherent platform.
But this requires new partnerships between contractors, developers and technology providers, and early engagement across all disciplines.
Too often, value engineering becomes subtraction rather than optimisation. Sustainability cannot survive late-stage compromise.
Saying goodbye to siloed design
Perhaps the most important takeaway is the need to move beyond siloed design. Traditionally, residential, retail and commercial components are designed independently, but the real opportunity lies in the overlaps:
- Retail energy demand peaking during the day
- Residential demand rising in the evening
- Shared thermal storage
- Demand-responsive energy systems
- Integrated transport and public realm
Net zero cannot be achieved building by building. We should be looking to extend sustainability benefits beyond the red line of the site into surrounding communities.
Infrastructure, transport and water systems must be considered at masterplan scale, design developments where energy is stored and redistributed dynamically across uses.
Social sustainability as a core value
Units delivered in isolation rarely enable influencing landscaping and nature integration at scale. On the other hand, Mixed-use large-scale schemes allow for biodiversity corridors and meaningful green space, community infrastructure, walkable neighbourhoods reducing car dependency and shared amenities fostering connection.
If the 1.5 million homes target is to succeed, these homes must be part of thriving communities.
By aligning housing delivery with intelligent energy systems, digital integration and place-based sustainability, large mixed-use developments can simultaneously increase housing supply, reduce operational carbon, improve resilience to climate change, strengthen community cohesion and protect long-term asset value.
The government’s housing target is more than a number – it’s a catalyst to rethink the delivery model itself. For developers and investors, the opportunity lies in treating mixed-use schemes as integrated systems, not standalone plots, with sustainability embedded in the core value and risk model from day one. When energy, transport, digital infrastructure and community needs are planned as one coordinated platform, we don’t just deliver 1.5 million homes – we deliver 1.5 million efficient, resilient, net zero-ready assets that hold their value over time. The imperative is clear: design for integration, invest for performance, and verify outcomes in use.
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