A central boiler plant was one of the features of heating buildings in the Soviet Union. They used coal to make steam. The Brits are so advanced the will probably use wishful thinking and unicorn farts.
I’m all for higher standards for insulation. I built a 5 star energy rated home in Alaska and it was wonderful. A little more up-front cost that paid for itself almost immediately.
NY City is still steam heated on a mass scale.
Yes ... that's a central boiler for the entire town. Some US military bases use a similar system. There are remote towns in eastern Russia that were abandoned when the central boiler broke down and couldn't be repaired.