London Property Alliance (LPA) has responded to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG) survey on how national planning policy and guidance regarding the demolition and redevelopment or retrofit of buildings should be updated.
In addition to responding to the survey itself, LPA wrote to MHCLG to provide additional information and feedback that we felt could not be accurately portrayed using the pre-set responses provided. In the letter we:
- Stated that sustainable and low carbon retention and refurbishment should be the highest priority for all existing buildings, although retrofit first should not mean retrofit only.
- Called for an increased focus on how our heritage buildings can be protected, enhanced and made fit for the future in order to better reflect the extent that heritage issues influence the current decision-making process.
- Argued that grouping profitability and financial viability in the same response could lead to misleading results, as these terms represent different concepts and fail to fully acknowledge the other factors that play a role in determining overall project viability.
In the response, Charles Begley, Chief Executive, writes:
“It is recommended that the NPPF includes a positive paragraph that supports exploration of retrofitting buildings first before considering their demolition to support the three objectives of sustainable development. Consideration of the whole-life carbon emissions of a scheme should be factored into the assessment, as well as the social and economic benefits associated with retention and demolition.”
Read our response and feedback here
