Climate-proof development must become the norm – report

Climate-proofing England's built environment requires more new buildings to follow the example of model developments like London's Gallions Park, according to a report published this week.


The Gallions Park housing project, the capital’s first zero-carbon development, is just one of a series of resource-efficient, renewable-powered buildings that the “Adapting to Climate Change” case study report point out as leading lights in climate proof architecture.

Put together by climate change partnerships uniting public, private and NGO actors from England’s south-eastern regions, the report stresses that design that still counts as avant-garde should become standard across the regions.

The East of England, the South East and the London will feel the effects of climate change particularly strongly and need to adapt urgently, according to the reports’ authors, who together make up the Three Regions Climate Group.

They pointed to developments like the Jubilee Campus in Nottingham with its green roofs that provide a buffer against flooding or Gallions Park in the Docklands where solar water heating and rainwater harvesting are used, saying these innovative approaches should “become the norm.”

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said: “The Three Regions Climate Group guide and case studies will help us to make sure we are better prepared for unavoidable climate change. We cannot sit back and start thinking about adapting to climate change tomorrow, we need to act now.”

Gerry Acher, chair of the London Climate Change Partnership said: “If buildings are to be resilient to our future climate and enhance their commercial viability, developers and planning authorities must adopt the sustainability principles highlighted in this report.

“Adaptation to climate change must become a standard practice in our homes and commercial building from now on.”

Goska Romanowicz

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