On behalf of WPA members, the Association has responded to an informal consultation held by Westminster City Council on its draft Retrofit and Embodied Carbon Policy as part of its Partial Review of the City Plan.
In our submission to Cllr Geoff Barraclough (Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Development at Westminster City Council) we restated our position for a “retrofit first, not retrofit only” approach, as set out in our research paper of the same name; asking the City Council to ensure that the policy does not preclude replacing buildings in some circumstances, as some are not suitable for retention. These buildings risk becoming un-used, or under-used if they cannot be replaced, leading to the unintentional, managed decline of Westminster as a key employment destination and contributor to the UK’s economy, which the WPA would not support.
The response also advised that the draft policy does not address this issue and WPA is concerned that the direction of travel may not be in general conformity with the London Plan.
Read our submission in full here
