The Week That Was - 19 June 2026

Welcome to the week that was, a round-up of key events in the construction sector over the last seven days.

London Borough of Waltham Forest v Great House (Buildings) Ltd [2026] UKUT 218 (LC)

The Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) dismissed a local housing authority’s appeal against a First-Tier Tribunal decision that had allowed a landlord’s appeal against a financial penalty notice and cancelled it.  The authority had imposed a £15,600 penalty for an offence under section 72(1) of the Housing Act 2004, alleging that the landlord had managed or controlled a house in multiple occupation that required a licence but was not licensed.

The case ultimately turned on whether the authority had complied with the statutory time limit for giving its notice of intent. Under paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 13A to the Housing Act 2004, the authority was required to give a notice of intent within six months “beginning with the first day on which the authority has sufficient evidence” of the conduct.  

The Upper Tribunal emphasised that a period of six months “beginning with” a specified day includes that first day and treated the case as falling within the second class of case discussed in Zoan v Rouamba [2000] 1 WLR 1509.  The Tribunal rejected the authority’s argument that the “corresponding date” rule applied.

As a result, the notice was out of time and the Upper Tribunal upheld the cancellation of the penalty notice.

You can read the judgement here [may require subscription].

Blueprint for ultra-low-carbon schools to be created

The Department for Education has started building a team tasked with developing ultra-low-carbon schools across England.  A £3.9m procurement race for an innovation lead has been initiated. The innovation lead will guide the Regenerative Schools Pilot, a strategy which will test new construction methods, bio-based materials, and nature-led solutions that will inform the construction of future school buildings.

The innovation lead will be involved with researching potential building materials as well as developing six standardised designs for blocks of classrooms that can be recreated across the education estate.

The Regenerative Schools Pilot is part of a wider £33m research and development programme which focuses on creating net-zero and sustainable schools using bio-based materials, biodiversity measures, and climate-resilient designs.

For more information, please see here.

The Civil Justice Council announces review of track Limits and boundary between High Court and County Court

On 8 June 2026, the Civil Justice Council (CJC) announced that it will be undertaking a review of County Court track limits and the division of work between the County Court and the High Court.

The CJC has invited individuals with expertise in data infrastructure and information governance to register their interest in joining the working group which will undertake the review.

Please access the Judiciary website here for further information.

RICS: housing demand and sales stop worsening, but market stays subdued

Rising housing demand and sales activity appear to have stabilised, but remain in negative territory, according to RICS latest UK Residential Market Survey. New buyer enquiries registered a net balance of -34% in May, unchanged on the previous month and the first time since January that the headline demand indicator has not deteriorated.  Agreed sales also held steady, posting an unchanged net balance of -37%, with RICS noting that while more respondents are still seeing sales fall rather than rise, the flat reading “suggests the pace of decline is no longer intensifying”.

Click here to read more [may require subscription].

SBTi releases Corporate Net-Zero Standard Version 2.0

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) issued Version 2.0 of its Corporate Net-Zero Standard, a framework intended to help businesses set net-zero targets aligned with the 1.5°C limit.  The revision is aimed at making the standard easier to apply in practice and more centred on how companies implement and evidence progress.  A further development is the ongoing emissions responsibility which is intended to sit alongside footprint reduction and support high-integrity carbon markets. 

Version 1 will remain available for target-setting until the end of 2027. Version 2.0 is due to be available from 1 February 2027.

You can access Version 2.0 here.

With thanks to Nishtha Guha and Kasia Ginders

Disclaimer: The information in this publication is for guidance purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.  We attempt to ensure that the content is current as at the date of publication, but we do not guarantee that it remains up to date.  You should seek legal or other professional advice before acting or relying on any of the content.

If you have any queries please do get in contact with a member of the team, or your usual RPC contact.