Retrofit First policy launched to “boost affordable housing”
Westminster City Council has launched a new Retrofit First policy as part of its City Plan Partial Review to boost affordable housing in the borough. The plan sets out “strengthened planning policies on retrofitting, affordable housing, and identifying four new, large development sites, following three years of engagement with residents, businesses, developers and local stakeholders,” the council said.
At the centre of the review is the Retrofit First policy, which puts the city “at the forefront of local government action on climate change.” The policy requires developers to “fully explore all reasonable options for retrofitting and adapting existing buildings” before they seek permission to demolish or redevelop. The council also highlights that the policy recognises that not every building can be retrofitted, hence taking a “retrofit-first, not retrofit-only approach.”
The council says that the “urgency behind the policy is clear” with the built environment accounting for 90% of the borough’s emissions, compared to around 40% for a typical local authority. Last year, it worked closely with applicants to achieve a 24% reduction in construction-related emissions compared, saving 27,500 tonnes of CO2, equivalent to the annual energy usage of almost 3,700 homes.
The City Partial Review also introduces stricter requirements to “deliver genuinely affordable homes,” with the affordable housing split in new developments shifting from 40% to 70% social rent, and from 60% to 30% intermediate homes. For the first time, any site that proposes fewer than 10 homes will also be required to “contribute to affordable housing delivery.”
The review also identifies St Mary’s Hospital, Westbourne Park Bus Garage, land adjacent to Royal Oak, and Grosvenor Sidings as “strategic sites with significant potential for mixed-use developments.” These allocations would provide landowners and developers with “clear planning guidance to unlock new homes, modern workspaces, improved public spaces, and a new, state-of-the-art St Mary’s Hospital.”
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