In this webinar, we’ll walk you through the proposal and the key questions we’re seeking feedback on. This is your chance to help shape the future of the industry.

Who Should Attend?

This event is designed for anyone who may be interested in responding to the Regenerative Places Framework consultation, particularly those involved in housing development or retrofit. It is an opportunity for all built environment stakeholders to provide feedback. We encourage anyone with an interest in regenerative design in the built environment to join this webinar and respond to the consultation, from experienced professionals to those with a general interest.

WITH THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS

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Harnessing Local Authority Leadership for Retrofit Success

LARA provided a framework, workshop facilitators and industry experts to consider the retrofit system across Hertfordshire and co-create a plan to help get our buildings improved, at pace. Through LARA, we are working collaboratively to develop a county-wide approach that ensures:

• A shared vision for what retrofit can achieve, leveraging co-benefits such as fuel poverty reduction, economic growth and adapting to a changing climate
• A fully engaged process that puts residents, businesses, and key stakeholders in the centre of discussions.
• Partnership working to align funding, scale up deliver and potentially secure greater investment.
• Targeted actions that balance immediate priorities with long-term systemic change.

Building Confidence Through Coordination

Homeowners are more likely to retrofit if they have trusted guidance”

A key insight from LARA was the variety of collaborative tools at our disposal. While a Retrofit One Stop Shop (ROSS) is one approach, other valuable actions include coordinated communications, sharing intelligence and best practice to align projects, targeted supply chain support and the potential for joint funding bids – all requiring fewer resources than a full-scale ROSS.

Homeowners are more likely to retrofit if they have trusted guidance. Our survey found that over 65% of respondents valued an advisor to help select measures, while 4 out of 5 would feel more confident if a local council (at district or county level) backed a coordinated service. However, confidence dropped if the service was delivered on a national scale – highlighting the importance of local leadership and investment.

LARA confirmed demand for ROSS but also articulated a governance structure to coordinate supporting activities so we can be confident in a fully mobilised ecosystem for retrofit.

Turning Strategy into Action

Over three full-day workshops, the LARA process brought key stakeholders together to co-create principles, articulate a vision and consider potential actions. Participants included representatives from colleges and training institutions, contractors (national and SMEs), NGOs, local authorities, registered social landlords, public health and more.

Instead of drafting a strategy first and seeking buy-in later, we engaged the full retrofit system from the start, which helped to foster a context of collaboration and shared ambition. We are now discovering that subsequent discussions and exchanges are more honest, engaged and fruitful because we invested time in those relationships initially.

We are currently endorsing a Commitment to Retrofit, and will soon socialise the draft strategy. Next steps include:

• Securing adoption of the Strategy by local authorities.
• Developing the membership and governance of a body to oversee delivery.
• Progressing actions prioritised by the group:
  • Strengthening skills development and business engagement to underpin the local supply chain.
  • Exploring financing mechanisms to support homeowners in taking action.

The Power of Collaboration

retrofit isn’t simply a case of informing and educating on heat pumps and pipe lagging”

The LARA project has shown that moving forward on retrofit isn’t simply a case of informing and educating on heat pumps and pipe lagging. The entire retrofit system needs to be nurtured to evolve into a dynamic and responsive entity. By working with local authorities, businesses, and communities from the start of the discussions, we can create a sustainable, resilient retrofit ecosystem that benefits everyone.

Hertfordshire worked hard to trust the iterative LARA process and made sure that key stakeholders invested the time in developing strong relationships. The resulting strategy and the research that underpins it gives confidence to all parts of the system that we should, and we can, enact the recommendations and that, with our collaborative efforts, every home in Hertfordshire is fit for the future.

Get involved in co-creating place-based retrofit strategies that support resilient communities by becoming a partner. Get in touch with our Co-Heads of Policy and Places, Anna and Joanne.

Regenerative Places

Our programme utilises a place-based retrofit strategy to enhance local network capacity, strengthen resilience against future climate-related challenges, and deliver broad regenerative benefits to communities.

Learn more

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The current Government’s ambitions – from reforming the planning system and addressing the housing crisis, to upgrading homes and regenerating neighbourhoods – present a critical opportunity for industry to shape effective government policy and also ensure that key issues (such as embodied carbon regulation and climate resilience) are give the political attention needed to drive meaningful, system-wide transformation.

Becoming a UKGBC Policy Forum Partner is an opportunity to actively support and shape the policy change required at this pivotal moment, while demonstrating clear leadership in the transition to a sustainable built environment.

As a Partner, you will play a central role in , a curated group of experts working collaboratively to develop ambitious, systems-focused policy solutions. The Forum brings together diverse perspectives from across the industry to explore long-term challenges, test new ideas, and directly inform UKGBC’s policy and advocacy work.

Policy Partners also benefit from direct engagement with senior industry leaders and policymakers, including opportunities to connect through Westminster-based events and wider UKGBC activity. This is a platform to build influence, strengthen relationships and help shape the future policy landscape.

Enquire here

Anna Hollyman Co-Head of Policy and Places

Email Anna

Enquire here

Joanne Wheeler Co-Head of Policy and Places

Email Joanne

Policy and Advocacy

Since 2007, we have been bringing together some of the most influential leaders in politics, business, local authorities, civil service and NGOs to accelerate action for a green built environment.

Learn more

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Our Regenerative Places programme aims to work with local places to explore and demonstrate how retrofit can act as a catalyst to embed wider regenerative benefits to communities. The Programme focuses on bringing together public and private partners to co-create place-based strategies that enhance local network capacity, develop resilience against future climate-related challenges, and deliver broad “regenerative” benefits to communities.

It explores what we mean by “regenerative” and was conceived as a powerful way to co-create, with UKGBC members and local partners, a positive – regenerative – vision for the future through:

• Working with existing communities to decarbonise their homes, public spaces, and lifestyles, in ways that build resilience and (bio)diversity, while

• Exploring how local networks can develop their own capacity to respond to future challenges, empowering local people and building on local knowledge and strengths offering health and social value benefits.

Enquire

Anna Hollyman Co-Head of Policy and Places

Email Anna

Joanne Wheeler Co-Head of Policy and Places

Email Joanne

Our partnership with UKGBC to support a locally-led approach to home retrofit has gone from strength to strength over the last 2 years. UKGBC’s depth of knowledge on retrofit, as well its strong and active network has really enhanced our reach. We look forward to continuing our partnership into 2024 and beyond, and working with new partners through the Regenerative Places Programme. This will enable us to deepen our understanding of how home retrofit can act as a catalyst for ensuring wider benefits to communities.”

Alastair Mumford, Programme Director, MCS Foundation

Regenerative Places

Our programme utilises a place-based retrofit strategy to enhance local network capacity, strengthen resilience against future climate-related challenges, and deliver broad regenerative benefits to communities.

View more

Home Retrofit

With time running out to keep global temperatures to 1.5 degrees, upgrading the nation’s homes is one of the biggest opportunities the UK has to reduce carbon emissions whilst tackling the cost-of-living crisis, energy security and levelling up.

View more

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The Local Authority Retrofit Forum (LARF) is part of UKGBC’s programme, which is supported by the MCS Charitable Foundation. The programme is designed to support local authorities to take a leading role on retrofit.

The Forum is open to any local authority officer that’s currently undertaking home retrofit projects or supporting activities, or planning to in the near future. The purpose is to enable authorities to come together in a supportive environment, to connect and collaborate, share challenges and solutions, and hear from sector leaders.

The Forum will also help guide and create content and resources that can be shared across the sector, with the UKGBC membership and the wider built environment industry.

The Forum consists of a group of local authority officers from across the UK who meet virtually quarterly and communicate with each other in between and outside of meetings via a designated on our UKGBC portal.

Hear from local authorities in our forum

We spoke with members of our forum at LARF Live to gather their insights on the forum’s significance and its impact on them.

How to get involved

If you’re interested in joining or would like any further information on the Forum, please contact policy@ukgbc.org.

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Elected representatives can be a vital catalyst for action across a local authority, either by having responsibility for key policy areas, or by scrutinising existing practice.

Local authorities have significant leverage and influence through their services, planning and enforcement roles, housing, procurement, regeneration, economic development activities, education, skills services and investments. Likewise, their wider potential role in facilitating local partnerships, public engagement and communication places them at the heart of developing and replicating local solutions to our environmental challenges.

This briefing is intended primarily as an introductory resource for candidates, covering recommendations and ideas across key areas including: energy and climate standards in new homes; energy efficiency and home retrofit; how authorities can commit to local leadership; nature and climate resilience; circular economy; and social value.  It also signposts to other relevant UKGBC resources for more detail.

UKGBC has also recently produced an interactive policy map, displaying leading examples of policy from local and combined authorities across the UK. The map can be accessed here.

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The component parts of the Playbook are designed to help enable cities and local authorities drive up the sustainability of new homes.

UKGBC has produced a second, significantly updated version of a resource pack designed to help local authorities drive up the sustainability of new homes. The Playbook is intended as a hands-on resource, designed to be used and adapted to support the ‘day job’ of officers with responsibilities for sustainability and planning within local authorities.

The core content of this Playbook focuses on reducing energy demand and carbon emissions, mitigating overheating risk, the cross-cutting issue of assuring performance and the role of acoustics at the scale of the individual property. Each section includes recommendations about the requirements we believe local authorities should introduce to drive sustainable new homes in their area, all of which go beyond what is required by national policy. Each section is also accompanied with a set of policy examples already set by local authorities.

Alongside this playbook, UKGBC has also launched an interactive policy map, displaying leading examples of new build policy from local and combined authorities across the UK. The map can be accessed here.

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As a live resource, the guidance will be updated periodically to reflect policy changes, latest thinking and new case studies. UKGBC welcomes approaches from local authorities and other organisations wishing to contribute to the development of this resource.

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There are also a number of infographics produced to support the project on carbon emissions, energy costs and comfort.

Significant research was completed as part of the project. UKGBC are hosting the project reports and outputs plus a wide range of other material on retrofit. The three reports can be found below.

Ģ��ֱ�� also hosting the cleansed reports, which can be downloaded in bulk.

Download the cleansed reports here.

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