Personally I live in a 1920 semi.   Some 1920/30 dwellings had or still have the gas meter and electric under the stairs.  In this day and age we know not to put them under the stairs anymore.

I suspect that in 10 years, new UK houses will be all electric with solar power, some form of electric heating, and electric vehicle charge point. If there is a garage, that is the obvious place to put it all.

It does not really need a walk-in room, but rather an adequate cupboard. I suspect that most people really would not want the service head and meter to be on show.

Older properties are what they are. My electrical intake (and first DB) is in the garage. The house DB is in the kitchen corridor (not my choice, but a reasonable place all things considered), the gas intake is at the back of a store cupboard, and the boiler and hot water cylinder are off the kitchen (which is sensible because water is drawn most frequently at the kitchen sink).

If we get solar panels, the inverter and battery will be in the adjacent lost space. Fortunately, there is already a suitable distribution circuit in place.

Consolidating that in one room would be a nightmare.

By the time you have made the decision about solar, BS7671 amd. 4 will have banned batteries in lofts.  The BSI are already strongly recommending against it https://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/insights-and-media/insights/brochures/pas-63100-protection-against-fire-of-battery-energy-storage-systems/

Simon, thank you - that is helpful. I assume that you are referring to article 6.5. If these batteries are so dangerous, why do we permit them at all?

Because people like having free electricity at night.  And if we're all switching to renewables, we seriously need more energy storage in the UK.

Lithium batteries don't usually catch fire spontaneously, but if a house fire reaches the lithium batteries, they are almost impossible to put out.  So that's why PAS 65100 recommends putting them somewhere safer than in the loft.

Meanwhile, the box of LG Chem batteries in my loft should be fine.  They don't seem to be from one of the batches that was recalled for spontaneously combusting.  LG Chem are noted for producing somewhat flammable battery packs - ask Chevrolet. 

I think that this thread is highlighting a number of problems with the structure of UK housebuilding.  There are too many, too small, too inefficient houses badly designed and built.

If you look to the continent the smaller properties are apartment blocks that can be more thermally efficient due to less surface area for a given volume and can have better infrastructure systems. Plant rooms will be normal. Single houses will generally be quite large and will also have sufficient space for plant rooms.

Our 80m2 two bedroom apartment has two external walls and costs around £700 a year for heating. It is on a district heating system burning genuine wood waste from the local forestry a woodworking industries.

The downside of apartment block is that solar PV on the roof and heat pump systems are more complicated to install and may not be large enough to supply the needs of all the apartments.

Andy Millar said:

I think as often happens with your suggestions I'd need to turn this around to: what's the problem you're trying to solve?

Well I like Sergio’s way of combining a pertinent question with a reasonable solution. The need to provide adequate space for standard services, never mind the newer technologies, is a fundamental aspect of design that is often overlooked in an overarching way. Often, in the smaller installations, those responsible for the individual services are left scratching their heads as to how to accommodate their proposal. This often leads to a disparate and haphazard arrangement, even in brand new properties. 
Whilst mandating a plant room might be one solution, I would like to see architects take the lead on a global approach to the accommodation of services. I often see designs for new housing sites where the architect doesn’t even consider where the consumer unit is to be located. There certainly needs to a more cohesive approach between the various parties responsible for such matters and since the architect is responsible for the overall footprint, they will be best placed to take the lead role.

The Irish regs have a fundamental requirement for designers of electrical installations to consider new technologies. I would like to see the space allocation for such things being considered better at the early stages of a project. That effectively means it’s the architects responsibility. 
Sergio makes an excellent point in that regard.

Simon Barker said:

Lithium batteries don't usually catch fire spontaneously, but if a house fire reaches the lithium batteries, they are almost impossible to put out.  So that's why PAS 65100 recommends putting them somewhere safer than in the loft.

I see what you mean, but if a fire in my guest bedroom has broken through to the loft above, there is already a big problem!

It's already being done. Dedicated utilities cupboards housing CU, ONT and whatever mechanical plant there is. Batteries are the tricky one, but oftentimes PV is required to get through regs but not the battery so, direct export or divert via your hot water cylinder first then export without electrical storage.

Roger B said:

I think that this thread is highlighting a number of problems with the structure of UK housebuilding.  There are too many, too small, too inefficient houses badly designed and built.

From an engineering perspective, I cannot disagree. However in UK, apartment blocks = council flats.

Whilst Grenfell did not help, there are plenty of expensive-looking apartment blocks sandwiched between the railway line to Waterloo and the Thames, so it depends upon where you live.