Source:&nbsp Mistervlad/ShutterstockA proposal by the City of London to encourage reuse of existing buildings and other circular economy measures will become policy within the coming weeks, the authority has announced The new Planning for Sustainability Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), provides guidance on how developers should approach the City Corporations sustainability policies in their planning applications, including the design and construction of buildings.Formerly in draft form, the SPD has now been approved by the Corporations Planning and Transportation Committee and includes measures to support the Citys retrofit first approach.The AJs long-running campaign for such measures RetroFirst was launched in September 2019. Since then, several local councils, including the City, Westminster, Camden and Bath & North East Somerset, have developed and adopted retrofit-first policies in support of their Net Zero targets and declarations of climate emergency.AdvertisementMore planning authorities, particularly in the capital, are poised to follow suit.The Citys SPD is intended to support its 2040 Net Zero target and covers four other key sustainability themes, many of them concerned with slashing upfront or embodied carbon. These are:Circular economy Encourages a shift from a linear to circular waste model in a buildings construction and operation to minimise waste through a buildings life cycleGreenhouse gas emissions and energy use Includes measures to reduce whole life-cycle carbon and operational energy emissionsClimate resilience Sets out how developments should address flood risk management, water management, building and urban overheating, pest and disease control, and infrastructure resilienceUrban greening and Biodiversity Sets out how to protect, conserve and enhance biodiversity, habitats and green infrastructure in the Square Mile.Among other measures, the SPD will introduce NABERS UK* targets (a five-star target for new office developments, and four-star target for retrofitted office developments), as well as introducing embodied carbon benchmarking, aligning with the GLA embodied carbon benchmarks.Zero carbon expert and architect Simon Sturgis, who has been instrumental in the application of a whole-life carbon approach to planning and development in the UK, strongly welcomed the Citys move, saying it could deliver economic growth as well as carbon savings.The City of Londons new Retrofit & Reuse policy is a great step forward in promoting carbon efficient development, he said. The City must now support this policy with speedy planning consents. The next step is to require third-party verification of submitted carbon assessments.AdvertisementChairman of the City Corporations planning and transport committee, Shravan Joshi, said: This new guidance provides transparency to the built environment sector, encouraging it to come with us on this journey as we see continued confidence and demand for high-quality, sustainable office space in the Square Mile.The City of London is home to some of the most sustainable commercial buildings on the planet and, as it continues to be a hugely attractive place for office occupiers, we are setting the pace globally for sustainable design, with the delivery of the next generation of new and retrofit developments to attract the best global talent, innovators and high-growth businesses.In a statement, the Corporation said the new SPD would offer a degree of flexibility if planning applications miss the upfront carbon benchmarks. In this case, developments will be expected to go above and beyond in their delivery of wider environmental sustainability benefits in the Square Mile.This could include, for instance, creating or extending local energy networks, supporting sustainable transport modes through significant public realm upgrades, implementing City climate resilience infrastructure, such as cool routes, or providing skills and training opportunities in sustainable construction, the statement said.2025-01-22will hurstcomment and share