UKGBC has published
the final report from its Regeneration and Retrofit Task Group.
The report sets out
how high quality whole home retrofit can be used as a catalyst to regenerate
low income communities.
Regeneration often
focuses on large scale redevelopment but in many areas this may not be viable
or practical. Retrofit-led regeneration can provide a solution to ensure these
communities are not left behind.
The report explores
the wide-ranging social, economic and environmental benefits of whole home
retrofit for households, communites and cities. It argues that area-wide
delivery of home retrofits provides an opportunity to transform the lives of
residents and build sustainable communities.
The report makes two
key recommendations for how to unlock the delivery of retrofit-led regeneration
projects:
- The use of Community
Social Enterprises which represent the interests of local people throughout
regeneration projects. The organisation would be involved throughout the
planning stages of a project, provide a consistent point of contact for
residents, and ensure there are lasting benefits for the community. It would
maximise the economic benefits of the project by training and employing local
people to help deliver home retrofits.
- Local Authority
Revolving Funds, which offers private owners and landlords low interest loans
to transform their properties. Repayments would be set at affordable levels for
the owner until the property is sold, when the remaining balance is paid back
from the sale. The repayments are recycled back into the fund so that further
loans can be offered to other householders to improve their homes.
Richard Twinn,
Policy Advisor at UKGBC: “If the Government is serious about helping struggling
families and improving life chances, we need to start by making sure that
everyone has a healthy, warm and secure place to live. That is why the
regeneration agenda is so important, using the renewal of local housing and
amenities to help address social and economic issues in low income communities.
“Retrofitting
existing homes is often viewed as the poor relation in this debate, seen as a
quick fix where redevelopment is not possible. But high quality whole home
retrofit can transform the lives of residents and, delivered at scale, can
stimulate wide-ranging regeneration of the local area.
"Retrofit-led
regeneration can provide a community-led solution to improving low income areas
which focuses on maximising the benefits for local residents.”
Duncan Lochhead,
Commercial Sustainability Manager at AkzoNobel UK: “We are proud to continue
Dulux Trade’s involvement with UKGBC as part of this Task Group and as a Gold
Leaf UKGBC Member.
"We firmly
believe the home is at the centre of UK society and that the improvements to
individual homes can not only improve the lives of residents but create better,
more resilient communities. We are playing our part developing energy-saving
coatings for homes.
“Home retrofit can
build local skills, provide local employment and connect local communities
across the UK, especially in areas that need it most. We welcome the
government’s focus on regeneration and we believe home retrofit should be one
of the top priorities for this agenda.”
