The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) is calling on the government to prioritise the reuse and retrofit of existing buildings over building new. They argue that this will be one way of helping to reduce levels of CO2.
Although the government has claimed that they are prioritising reuse and retrofits, the EAC are concerned that changes made to permitted development rights (PDRs) by the government, seem to have incentivised demolition and new-build over retrofitting.
In their report, In Building to Net Zero: Costing Carbon in Construction, the EAC acknowledge that reuse and retrofit isn't always possible so where this is the case, they are calling for more efficient and effective use of low-carbon building materials.
They are also recommending that the government introduce a mandatory requirement for whole-life carbon assessments for buildings. Such an assessment would calculate emissions from the construction, maintenance and demolition of a building, as well as the energy used in its day-to-day operation. The EAC recommend it should be fully incorporated in the planning system and building regulations. Countries including France and the Netherlands already have mandatory whole-life carbon assessments for their built environment.
These assessments should be used to develop carbon targets for buildings that align with the UK’s net zero goals.
The EAC are asking the government to set out a clear timescale for the introduction of whole-life carbon assessments by the end of the year, and recommend their introduction should be no later than December 2023.
Chair of the EAC, Philip Dunne, said: "From 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."
"Ministers must address this urgently. Promising steps are being taken: for instance, the levelling up, housing and communities secretary of state recently paused the demolition and retrofit of Marks and Spencer on Oxford Street on environmental grounds. But 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."
"As in many other areas in the drive to net zero, the UK must have the green skills to make its low-carbon future a reality. Before the summer recess in July, I urge the government to publish a retrofit strategy and upskilling programme that can ensure the UK economy will have the green jobs necessary to deliver a low-carbon built environment."
