Head of Sustainability Georgia Laganakou reviews her time on the NLA’s Net Zero Expert Panel and assesses the challenges still facing the industry today.

Meaningful change is made through collective knowledge and experience. 

 

A key strength of the NLA Expert Panels is the diversity of their representatives, each contributing unique perspectives and expertise. The Net Zero panel comprises of a diverse range of professionals, including architects, engineers, sustainability leads, representatives from local authorities, estate managers and other key stakeholders. This diversity fosters a more comprehensive understanding of the issues at hand and the challenges faced across various sectors. 

 

In 2023, and building upon previous years' discussions, the Net Zero panel explored how the planning process could introduce initiatives to prioritise the reuse of existing buildings, which is vital to the path for achieving Net Zero. 

 

Although the London Plan Policies have positively influenced the adoption of retrofit-first principles, there is room to further develop the guidance and improve the evaluation of submissions regarding Whole Life Carbon Assessments (WLCA) and Circular Economy principles. 

 

One of the key initiatives the panel published in 2023 was a proposal for a London-wide Demolition Impact Assessment policy. This policy would aim to encourage the retention of existing buildings, as well as their refurbishment, retrofitting, and the reuse of existing materials. The proposal called for a number of related initiatives including: 

 

- Comparative whole life carbon assessments for both retention and new build options Lifecycle costing analysis. 

- Deconstruction methodology, with a focus on reusing materials on-site in their original form. 

- Evidence that alternative building uses, forms, and configurations have been fully explored. 

- Maximum and consistent energy efficiency measures across all compared options

In addition, the panel proposed a London-wide Carbon Review Panel to assess projects submitting WLCA reports for Demolition Impact Assessments, and to monitor such a policy in line with an overall aim to reduce the carbon emissions of new build. The Carbon Review Panel would comprise industry professionals and offer expertise to support local authorities while they develop appropriate skills and policies.

  

In 2024, following this proposal, the NLA’s Net Zero Panel focused on several key objectives including how best to identify opportunities to enhance carbon expertise within planning authorities, and assessing existing capacity-building initiatives to avoid overlap. 

 

In September, a workshop was hosted with a wider range of Local Authority representatives to identify needs and gaps for future action. This workshop emphasised the importance of expertise, upskilling, and skill-sharing. Moving forward, the panel is expected to concentrate on implementing this support and exploring solutions to related considerations, such as funding and governance.