Gas appliances to be banned in Oxford from 2025

Oxford City Council has announced plans to ban the installation of gas hobs and boilers in all new homes starting in 2025, a decade earlier than the UK government's 2035 target. The move is part of the council's aim to become net zero by 2040.

The ban will affect an estimated 9600 new homes in the pipeline, in which builders will be barred from installing fossil fuel appliances for heating and cooking. It will also apply to most commercial developments.

The Home Builders Federation has urged the council not to diverge from the national 2035 target. Executive director Steve Turner said "We need all parties, including central and local government, to work together and avoid diverging off the developing plan, which will lead to unnecessary delays and additional costs."

Under Oxford City Council's proposal, developers will have to pay into council climate funds if they unable to install electric or other zero-carbon alternatives like heat pumps.