Read the latest instalment of our Retrofit First, Not Retrofit Only series, examining the need for clearer national guidance to help local councils make informed and balanced decisions around future development.
Authored by Savills and commissioned in response to a combination of gaps in national policy, under-resourced planning departments, lack of expertise and inconsistency in decision-making, the report warns that the Government’s commitment to kickstarting economic growth could be derailed by a lack of clarity around making older buildings fit for the future. The paper has been supported by senior planners including Rob Bristow, the Director of Climate, Planning and Transport at London Borough of Lambeth and the Immediate Past President of the Planning Officers’ Society, who have joined in calling for greater Government action to get Britain building.
The report sets our four key recommendations to help create sustainable development and speed up the delivery of net zero commercial buildings:
- Introduce a consistent process for balancing all three objectives of sustainable development: economic, social and environmental.
- Set out a clear, single approach for evaluating the benefits of retrofit and redevelopment options.
- Amend national Building Regulations to mandate and standardise the reporting of whole-life carbon emissions from buildings.
- Treat upgrades to improve the energy efficiency of heritage and listed buildings as a public benefit to incentivise investment and the preservation of historic assets.
The report has been developed with insight drawn from the Westminster Property Association’s Planning & Sustainability Committee and the wider London Property Alliance membership.
Charles Begley, Chief Executive, London Property Alliance, said:
“The debate around how we improve or replace Britain’s aging building stock has become increasingly fraught. We now have an opportunity to help support more sustainable buildings, which are a major contributor to carbon emissions, whilst also growing the economy.
“We’re not calling for major planning reform or long-drawn out reviews. Just four simple fixes to existing policies would help provide the certainty and clarity local councils, communities and investors alike need to help balance the inevitable trade-offs and compromises which come with development. The prize for getting this right could be transformational for the country.”
Rob Bristow, the Director of Climate, Planning and Transport at London Borough of Lambeth and the Immediate Past President of the Planning Officers’ Society, added:
“The issues within planning have become increasingly complex, particularly as we rise to the challenge of tackling climate change and rightly set ambitious net zero targets. These are practical and easily implementable amendments to the NPPF that will help planners, elected members, applicants and communities to better understand and assess the merits of development in a balanced and proportionate manner.”
Read the bitesize edition here (42 pages).
