London Property Alliance’s research paper, Retrofit First, Not Retrofit Only: A focus on the retrofit and redevelopment of 20th century buildings, reviews the current challenges and opportunities faced by central London policy makers and property owners as we race to decarbonise our commercial buildings to ensure London becomes a net zero city. The report aims to bring greater clarity to planning and investment criteria, which ultimately underpins future development, pinpointing key considerations in determining the best approach taken from case studies and the real-world experience.
The research paper has been authored by JLL, and produced with support from BentallGreenOak, British Land, Derwent London, GPE and Landsec. It is third in a series focusing on sustainability, and follows our Focus on Retrofit in Historic Buildings paper.
Charles Begley, Chief Executive, London Property Alliance, said: “Tackling climate change has rightly risen to the top of the political agenda. The property sector is unequivocally behind a retrofit-first approach and is rapidly innovating to reduce both embodied and operational carbon.
“However, a combination of gaps in national policy, under resourced planning departments, lack of expertise, and an increasing presumption of ‘retrofit-only’ in decision-making risks undermining collective efforts to decarbonise our built environment. Without greater support and clarity nationally, local efforts to tackle climate change will fail to deliver the cleaner, greener economy the country needs.”
