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What challenges do we face?

Interest and focus on tackling the climate emergency in historic buildings has never been higher, but action so far is limited. In a series of workshops in early 2023, the questions of what is currently happening and the challenges hindering action were put to those who own, manage, or work with historic buildings across the Square Mile.

The results have formed signposts for action, for how a guide can be developed to help historic building owners drive progress towards carbon reduction and climate resilience.

Commonalities across all responses showcase the principal opportunities that might galvanise more action;

Cost: A lack of funding, grants and government support, coupled with the challenges of building a viable business case in the current climate, were all viewed as significant barriers to action, especially given the additional costs already associated with owning a historic building.

Where to start: Whilst there is a lot of information available on this topic, many find it impenetrable and, in some instances, incoherently communicated, with some open-source resources adding to the perception of complexity (e.g. the STBA retrofit wheel, and Historic England advice notes).

Consistent messaging: The inconsistent approach to historic building retrofit across different boroughs was also highlighted as a common barrier, stemming from the lack of top-down support and clarity within the NPPF around how to balance sustainability and energy efficiency measures, against harm to historic fabric and heritage significance.

Training and skills at all levels: Backed up by the recent Heritage and Carbon: Addressing the Skills Gap report launched in March 2023, there was a call for bridging the knowledge gaps within organisations between those who take an active interest in sustainability within an organisation, those carrying out the work, and those involved in governance and decision making.

Collaboration: Encouraging collaborative networks of peers where knowledge sharing and mutual benchmarking is facilitating, could help overcome the complexity of negotiating the right advice, approach, and funding – particularly for smaller organisations.

Our call for involvement in the study continues, for owners and managers of historic property and for other interested parties. Both questionnaires can be found on Commonplace platform, found here.

All feedback received is being used to help shape our ongoing work, and development of an online toolkit aimed at distilling clear and practical advice on how to reduce carbon emissions and build climate resilience in historic buildings.

Posted on 10th March 2023

by Tatiana Guinness