Westminster City Council has introduced new policies emphasising a 'retrofit first' approach to development in the city.

The consultation will run from March 14 for six weeks, as part of a review of the council’s City Plan.

The proposed policies include:

1. Bespoke policy for a retrofit-first approach, encouraging energy-efficient buildings.

2. Prioritisation of social housing over intermediate housing in new developments to deliver genuinely affordable housing.

3. Requirement for all new residential developments to contribute to affordable housing, even the small-scale schemes. Around one-third of housing developments in Westminster are small-scale residential sites, meaning they create 10 or fewer homes per site.

4. Identification of four brownfield sites for mixed-use development proposals: St Mary’s Hospital, Westbourne Park Bus Garage, Land adjacent to Royal Oak, and Grosvenor Sidings.

What is Retrofit?

A development involving the re-use of at least 50% of the existing building in-situ (by mass or volume), retaining as a minimum the foundations, core, and floor slabs, and which results in energy, performance, and climate adaptation upgrades, which will reduce carbon emissions from the building compared to the existing structure and prolong its usable lifespan.