Property group criticises UK government's Net Zero growth plan

The British Property Federation has slammed the UK government's latest Net Zero report as "another statement of intent when what we need is urgent action".

This week, the UK government published Powering Up Britain: The Net Zero Growth Plan, which outlines a number of measures for the nation's transition to Net Zero, including more investment in nuclear energy and carbon capture, as well as quotas for the installation of heat pumps and sales of electric cars.

Melanie Leech, chief executive of the British Property Federation (pictured above), said: “If government is serious about achieving Net Zero by 2050 there must be more recognition of the challenges in decarbonising the built environment, which accounts for around 25% of UK emissions. 

“While the report acknowledges the planning ‘bottleneck’ in updating historic and listed buildings, there must be more urgency in aligning the planning system to the net zero agenda and a national retrofit strategy that supports and incentivises green refurbishment. 

“We also need clarity on minimum energy efficiency standards and regulation that establishes a clear and consistent methodology for measuring the environmental performance of a building over its full life cycle, which will guide the property sector in how to approach development and refurbishment. 

“The property sector is fully committed to net-zero but Government must seize the moment and deliver bolder and more ambitious policies that will support the rapid change needed.”