WE DID IT - Consultation Delayed!

Residents Celebrate Victory as Council Backs Down on Rushed Heat Network Decision

Westminster City Council has announced a major U-turn, delaying its controversial £200 million PDHU heat network decision until late 2026, a significant victory for the 610 residents who signed our petition and the 110 who protested on 17 November.

This climbdown vindicates what Pimlico Unites has argued all along: rushing into irreversible decisions affecting 3,300 homes before knowing the regulatory standards was reckless and irresponsible.

The Energy Ombudsman agreed with us on 17 November, explicitly recommending the Council pause until Ofgem publishes Heat Network Technical Standards and Fairer Pricing rules in mid-2026. Just three days later, the Council rejected this recommendation and voted to proceed anyway. Now they've been forced to accept what residents and the independent Ombudsman told them: wait for regulatory certainty.

This delay allows time for proper technical analysis and assessment of all viable options, including the electric combi boiler solution the Council inexplicably excluded at 16 October Cabinet meeting despite committing to include it. Most importantly, it prevents the Council from locking residents into systems that might not meet forthcoming standards or pricing rules designed to protect consumers.

We won this pause through organised resident action, detailed technical scrutiny and formal legal challenge. The Council tried to dismiss our concerns at every stage but couldn't ignore our demands for common sense.

The fight isn't over! We'll hold the Council to meaningful engagement and proper consideration of all options. But today, resident power has forced a Council retreat.