Westminster Sustainable City Charter
Last year, we launched our sustainability strategy, deCarbon, where our vision for the estate is to go beyond minimum compliance and start planning for a net zero carbon future.
We already know the UK Government has a legal duty to deliver a net zero carbon economy by 2050, but here in Westminster the authority is aiming to achieve it ten years earlier, by 2040.
This target, supported by our own vision for Marylebone, will require us to make improvements to our buildings across the short, medium, and long term. Buildings are a significant contributor of carbon emissions so we must consider every opportunity to improve them. Our current focus is on developing a clear plan for investment, with some priorities including phasing-out gas boilers and reducing energy demand during occupation.
To help achieve our 2040 targets, Last year we become proud signatories of Westminster City Council’s Sustainable City Charter. At the end of 2023, we communicated with nearly 100 occupiers across 14 of our commercial offices to explain our intention to implement the principles of the Charter in their building. The Charter outlines eight commitments aimed at making buildings more sustainable, including improving energy use, transport and logistics, waste, and deliveries.
The 14 buildings, which includes our Head Office, will be the first on our estate to implement the Charter, with more to follow in due course. The first phase of work involves a detailed assessment of building energy performance, followed by developing building-specific improvement plans.
