{"id":662266,"date":"2022-05-26T08:35:02","date_gmt":"2022-05-26T07:35:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=662266"},"modified":"2022-05-26T08:35:02","modified_gmt":"2022-05-26T07:35:02","slug":"mps-back-retrofirst-approach-and-demand-planning-and-tax-reforms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/mps-back-retrofirst-approach-and-demand-planning-and-tax-reforms","title":{"rendered":"MPs back RetroFirst approach and demand planning and tax reforms"},"content":{"rendered":"

The government has made \u2018no progress\u2019 in reducing embodied carbon in construction and must introduce sweeping reforms including prioritising retrofit and reuse of buildings over new build, the committee of MPs said.<\/p>\n

Using the example of Pilbrow + Partners\u2019 M&S Oxford Street plan,<\/a> the EAC pointed to the government\u2019s ambitious net zero targets and said retrofitting should be prioritised because it minimised embodied carbon emissions as well as conserving resources, reducing waste and delivering \u2018cost-effective solutions to delivering on housing\u2019.<\/p>\n

The cross-party committee\u2019s Building to Net Zero report \u2013 which has been more than a year in the making<\/a> \u2013 gathered evidence from more than 130 individuals and organisations, including the AJ RetroFirst campaign,<\/a> with the AJ\u2019s articles cited a further five times in the report.<\/p>\n

Its key recommendation to government is the introduction of mandatory whole-life carbon assessments for buildings in planning guidance and the building regulations, which it said would aid the use of natural and low-carbon materials as well as the circular economy approach.<\/p>\n

\"EAC

EAC chair Philip Dunne<\/p>\n\t

<\/p><\/p><\/div>\n

\u2018From homes to offices, retail units to hospitality venues, our buildings have a significant amount of locked-in carbon, which is wasted each time they get knocked down to be rebuilt, a process which produces yet more emissions,\u2019 said EAC chair Philip Dunne MP.<\/p>\n

\u2018Ministers must address this urgently. Promising steps are being taken: for instance, the Communities Secretary recently paused the demolition and retrofit of Marks & Spencer on Oxford Street on environmental grounds.<\/p>\n

\u2018But much more needs to be done, and baseline standards for action need to be established. Mandatory whole-life carbon assessments and targets to crack down on embodied carbon provide part of the answer. Constructors and developers can then determine which low-carbon materials, such as timber and recycled steel, they can use.\u2019<\/p>\n

The report noted that government claimed to already be promoting greater use of re-use and retrofit but said the committee had seen \u2018limited evidence\u2019 and warned that the UK was falling behind other countries, such as France and The Netherlands, in tackling embodied carbon.<\/p>\n

It also hit out at the government\u2019s permitted development rights (PDR) for creating a \u2018perverse incentive\u2019 for demolition and rebuild over retrofit in some cases.<\/p>\n

The report observed that many local authorities, including the GLA, had introduced useful policies<\/a> to reduce embodied carbon but said councils and housing developers often still resorted to demolition because they were balancing \u2018multiple objectives\u2019 and therefore required \u2018a coherent policy framework\u2019 to support greater re-use and retrofitting.<\/p>\n

The inquiry was guided by specialist advisor and architect Simon Sturgis, whose report into the M&S demolition scheme<\/a> for SAVE Britain\u2019s Heritage was recently sent to Communities Secretary Michael Gove after his department last month halted the scheme.<\/p>\n

In addition to the introduction of whole-life carbon assessments, the committee recommended that the government:<\/p>\n