The Greenest Building is the One that Already Exists
GRACE LALLY of Hastings Housing Alliance advocates for a retrofit approach to upgrade housing stock
The draft Local Plan supports demolishing hundreds of social rented flats in the Four Courts, Clifton Court and Earl Street, because they are no longer ‘fit for purpose’ – with no guarantee of social housing to replace them. But like all older buildings, these flats could and should be upgraded to meet modern energy, safety, and accessibility standards.
Buildings produce 40% of national carbon emissions and, while ‘net zero’ new builds use less energy on heating and lighting, they still create vast amounts of ‘embodied carbon’ during construction and in materials such as concrete, glass and steel.
But to avert a worsening climate crisis we must cut emissions immediately to avoid crossing irreversible tipping points that can’t be fixed by cutting emissions in the future: we can’t just ‘build, build, build’ our way to future energy efficiency. We need to upgrade our existing buildings, using vastly less carbon emissions than building new, in order to achieve that energy efficiency now. Refurbishing also allows us to save the embodied carbon already used in existing buildings and avoid the air pollution and energy expended on the demolition process itself.
Retrofitting with solar panels, insulation, and heat recovery and ventilation systems makes buildings easier (and cheaper) to heat as well as addressing new problems caused by climate change such as overheating, and damp and mould from wetter, warmer weather.
When it’s our social housing that is threatened with demolition, the stakes are even higher. Architects have volunteered to work with concerned tenants on developing retrofit proposals pictured.
Our local plan must have a ‘Retrofit First’ policy and demand that Southern Housing and Orbit fully explore refurbishment options to keep these blocks as the high quality, affordable social housing our town desperately needs.
This website was created by a collective of local campaign groups to boost public engagement with this critical plan: communitiesvdevelopers.netlify.app/
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