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Guidance will reduce the environmental impact of the
country’s largest property portfolio, the public estate
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Net Zero Estate Playbook will guide public sector
organisations on how to reduce carbon emissions
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The public sector estate - including offices, hospitals,
prisons and job centres - is working to a target of
delivering a 78% reduction in emissions by 2035
A new guide to decarbonising public sector buildings and creating
a net zero public estate has been launched by the Cabinet Office.
The Net Zero Estate Playbook will ensure consistent approaches,
such as using solar panels, LED lighting and greener building
materials, are applied across public buildings as they help
decarbonise Britain’s largest property portfolio.
The UK was the first major country to legislate for net zero, and
as the host of COP26 which concluded earlier this month has been
leading the way in securing global action to tackle climate
change. The guidance will make national infrastructure greener by
giving departments, the public sector, and government property
professionals clear guidance on the design, implementation, and
monitoring of Net Zero strategies and delivery programmes.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said:
The public estate generates 2% of the UK’s total emissions. So
decarbonising public buildings is absolutely crucial if we’re
going to meet our environmental targets.
Property Professionals should use the Playbook to turn
best-practice into standard-practice. It will put the public
estate in a stronger position to deliver a 78% reduction in
emissions by 2035, and fully net zero by 2050.
One example of a current site which follows the principles of the
Playbook is the recently opened DWP hub in Tŷ Taf, Wales. The new
site is leading the way in sustainability with energy efficient
solar-powered technology. The site also has electric vehicle
charging points for staff, putting it at the forefront of the UK
Government’s commitment to using Ultra Low Emission transport.
The guidance, which will be applied to both existing and new
properties, will also help the Department of Health and
associated public bodies improve sustainability of their
hospitals through the use of low carbon materials and improved
understanding of a building’s environmental impact over its
entire lifespan.
The Playbook can be used as a guide by anyone responsible for
managing government property across the public sector.
The Net Zero Estate Playbook supports existing policies designed
to drive the UK towards achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050,
including the 25-Year Environmental Plan, the Greening Government
Commitments, and the Net Zero Strategy, which was published in
October 2021.
This announcement comes after COP26 concluded with 197 Parties
agreeing the Glasgow Climate Pact to urgently keep 1.5°C alive
and finalise the outstanding elements of the Paris Agreement.
The pact will speed up the pace of climate action this decade,
with all countries agreeing to return improved emissions targets
in 2022, as well as doubling climate finance for action on
adapting to climate change by 2025.
Written
statement
Paymaster General (): My noble Friend, the
Minister of State for Efficiency and Transformation (Lord Agnenw
Kt), has today made the following written statement:
I am pleased today to formally launch the new Net Zero Estate
Playbook.
Decarbonising the public estate will play a pivotal role in our
fight against climate change. With more than 300,000 individual
properties, at a combined value of £515 billion, the UK public
sector manages, by some distance, the largest property portfolio
in the country.
Operating at this scale means that every decision we make and
every improvement we implement has an impact. We must go beyond
decarbonising our own estate, by leading from the front, setting
an example, and bringing industry with us.
There is a very clear direction set out for Government property.
We are steadily working towards creating a greener public estate.
Since 2010, we have reduced carbon emissions by 50%, but there
remains much more work to do.
We have made significant progress on encouraging collaboration
and co-location between parts of the public sector. We are
working to improve maintenance, insulation, and efficiency across
the public estate. We are prioritising retrofitting existing
buildings where we can, and adopting modern and sustainable
methods of construction where we need new buildings.
This Net Zero Estate Playbook is about helping us go further, and
faster. It’s a guide, to support every Government organisation.
It takes best practice from around the UK, aligning with
government policy and bringing the best advice into one place to
inform and improve sustainability strategies and simplify the
path to Net Zero.
It provides, for the first time, a methodical step-by-step guide
to help government property professionals decarbonise their
estate.
