Concretene unlocks planning for ‘world-first’ graphene house
Project team convenes to plan residential development in 2026On Friday 5 December, Concretene had the first design meeting of the project team for a pioneering residential development in Cheshire, where planning was granted on the basis of our technology’s carbon-reducing credentials.
In September, the Planning Inspectorate found in favour of the appeal by James Murphy, resident of Carlisle House, Warford Lane in Mobberley, against Cheshire East Council’s original decision to deny planning, due to ‘very special circumstances’ relating to the use of novel building materials and the potential to reduce embodied and operational carbon in construction.
Technology test-bed
The proposed development is a single-storey dwelling within the grounds of Carlisle House; this will become a test-bed and ‘living laboratory’ for the technology deployed in its construction.
Concretene and Vector Labs – two climate-tech companies based at The University of Manchester’s Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre – gave evidence at the hearing, outlining the performance characteristics of their graphene-based products.
Concretene’s carbon-reducing admixture will be used in floor-slab and lightweight concrete cladding applications, with the aim of reducing ~20% of cement. Vector Labs is providing two graphene technologies: moth-proofed sheep-wool insulation and sensors for thermal management.
Planning precedent
“Adoption of new technologies that drive improvement in the built environment is critical
to mitigate the effects of climate change,” said Mike Harrison, CEO of Concretene. “We are pleased that the planning authority understood this and the significance of graphene in Manchester and the north-west.”
Building work on the project is expected to commence in Q3 2026, with planning conditions stating a commitment to monitor performance of the development’s technology applications for the first 10 years of the building’s occupation.
Liam Britnell, Chief Technical Officer of Vector Labs, said: “We’re very pleased that our technology played our part in securing planning consent.
“This development is not just a building project but a live testbed for how advanced measurement technologies can restore confidence in building performance, raise standards and deliver genuine long-term value,” he added.