Retrofitting at speed and scale

This is a speech by Georgina Schueller to a Housing Rebellion event on the South Lambeth estate.

We can see the climate emergency is worsening, with more extreme global weather events. We must do everything in our power to try to conserve our environment, and our buildings, and stop the rapid depletion of our natural resources such as those used in the construction industry.

• According to Chatham House, if the building industry was a country, it would be the third most determined CO2 emitter after China and the USA.
• Building sites generate huge amounts of waste and require vast amounts of energy, releasing tons of carbon emissions. The embodied carbon of an existing building slated for demolition is rarely properly taken into account.
• Around 80% of buildings we will be occupying in 2050 already exist, so retrofitting is essential to improve the energy efficiency of existing housing.
• At the moment there are not enough people trained with skills to retrofit.

Here on the South Lambeth Estate, one of the 6 estates earmarked for demolition, the regeneration would leave it with fewer council homes than currently exist, but hundreds of extra private for sale. Council homes are the most needed. (According to a Savill’s blog from 2018,) At least 100,000 households every year do not earn enough to access a mortgage or the private rental sector.

A decant block has been built, to empty other blocks ahead of demolition. This presents Lambeth with a unique opportunity. The near empty blocks could be used to teach retrofitting skills whilst also retrofitting desperately needed council homes; that would leave the council with more council homes than their regeneration programme, because Lambeth has borrowed £170 million to buy back leaseholder properties, which could now be returned as council housing.

• Retrofitting an empty house is the most cost effective.
• Aggregation of properties into larger projects can reduce costs further.

So Lambeth have stumbled upon a brilliant working method – build a decant block – move residents – retrofit empty homes – move residents from other blocks – retrofit etc. This would address fuel poverty far more quickly, stabilise rents and communities which otherwise are torn apart by regeneration.

By starting to train up a Retrofit Taskforce NOW, directly employed by Lambeth Council, Lambeth will have the expertise to implement retrofitting at speed and scale once retrofitting funding is increased by a likely next Labour government. Just as you expect behaviour change from Lambeth residents, so we expect behaviour change from you, Lambeth Council. Listening would be a good start.

Join the dots for climate and social justice. To not do so is a derogation of the council’s responsibilities towards its residents, the environment and our future.