The scheme, announced by the UK government, will start in Bexley, Greenwich, Lewisham, Southwark, the City of London, Lambeth and Westminster, with plans to later extend into Barking and Dagenham, Tower Hamlets and Kensington and Chelsea.
Funding includes £11.5 million for a heat‑network development in Bexley and Greenwich that, when fully built, is expected to serve up to 100,000 homes, and £11.4 million for a separate system in the Marble Arch area that will use water‑source heat pumps drawing energy from the London chalk aquifer to heat offices, homes, hotels and businesses around Oxford Street.
The programme also proposes installing pontoons that store water tanks on the Thames; these could be transformed into “Thames Floating Gardens”, creating new green spaces reminiscent of the 19th‑century embankments that once covered the Underground.
A government spokesperson said the infrastructure rollout is part of a broader effort to reindustrialise the UK, roll out cutting‑edge energy technology, lower household bills, create jobs and improve energy security, while upgrading existing heat‑network systems to deliver reliable, low‑cost heating.
If the initial phase proceeds as planned, the expanded network could provide a model for other UK cities seeking to decarbonise heating and increase urban green space.