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During the buzz of UKREiiF 2025, Daniel Watney hosted a lively networking event featuring a focused panel discussion on the theme “Retrofit or Redevelopment?” The panel brought together myself; Pippa Beesley, Construction Lawyer at Russell Cooke; and Dominic Curran, Head of Communications at the British Property Federation. While the conversation highlighted growing momentum around retrofit, it also underscored a key challenge: the planning system still lacks the clarity and consistency needed to fully embed retrofit as a mainstream approach to development and regeneration.
From a planning perspective, retrofit is currently approached inconsistently across the UK. The absence of a clear national or regional planning definition, combined with a lack of unified policy or carbon targets, has left local authorities to chart their own course. The result? A patchwork of approaches shaped as much by politics as by planning logic.
In London, we’re already seeing this divergence play out. The City of London Corporation supports the retention of buildings, but stops short of hard limits on demolition or the adoption of carbon budgets. In contrast, Westminster has taken a bolder stance by proposing upfront embodied carbon targets and restrictions on demolition. Other boroughs such as Camden, Tower Hamlets, Ealing, and Enfield are moving in a similar direction, with policies emerging to introduce carbon-based criteria. Meanwhile, many other boroughs across the capital and beyond remain without any retrofit-focused planning policies at all.
Encouragingly, the draft consultation for the new London Plan hints at a more cohesive future. It asks whether policies should actively incentivise retrofit or enforce specific carbon targets, an essential first step towards greater consistency.
The big question, then, is how can the planning system do more to incentivise retrofit? The Mayor has floated the idea of reducing the information burden on planning applications for retrofit schemes, a similar threshold approach used for affordable housing. This could be a game-changer in speeding up delivery, particularly for smaller or more marginal projects where the planning process can be a deterrent.
Our view is that we should go further. Could reduced processing time targets be introduced for retrofit schemes? What about policies that enable more flexible land use changes when a building is retained? For example, reducing the marketing period required to justify converting offices into alternative uses could help unlock opportunities while maintaining the embodied carbon benefits of retention.
Critically, planning policy needs to start treating building retention as a public benefit in its own right, on par with heritage, design, and other key planning considerations. If this were codified, it would give local authorities and developers a clearer framework for decision-making.
Absolutely. While we must champion retrofit where feasible, redevelopment will continue to play a vital role in shaping our built environment. Each site has its own complexities -structural integrity, viability, operational efficiency, and heritage constraints all factor into the equation.
The key is to avoid simplistic, “one-size-fits-all” narratives. Redevelopment can, and should, deliver sustainable outcomes, especially when projects are designed for longevity and minimal operational carbon. What we must guard against is the blanket resistance to demolition based on perception rather than a balanced, evidence-based assessment.
What emerged strongly from UKREiiF 2025 is that the planning system has a pivotal role to play in driving the retrofit agenda. But to do so effectively, it needs the right tools: clearer definitions, cohesive policies, and targeted incentives. We’re at a turning point. With the London Plan under review and growing cross-sector support, the time is now to build a planning framework that puts carbon front and centre, whilst still leaving space for innovation, redevelopment, and the long-term needs of our communities.
Nick Delaney, Partner, Planning
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