Westminster’s Sustainable City Charter attracts key signatories

Dozens of landlords, developers and consultants have signed up to a new charter on sustainability drawn up by Westminster City Council and the Westminster Property Association. The first signatories include some of Westminster’s leading businesses, cultural and academic institutions, healthcare providers and property companies, which collectively own, manage and occupy buildings with a floor area spanning 15.5m sq ft – equivalent to the size of Hyde Park. The full list of 35 signatories is included below.  The Sustainable City Charter seeks to reduce carbon emissions generated by the use of Westminster’s commercial and public buildings and ensure that Westminster becomes a net-zero city by 2040. Matt Noble, Westminster City Council’s cabinet member for climate action, regeneration and renters, said: “Westminster has some of the highest levels of carbon emissions and air pollution in the UK, largely due to it being a dense urban area with a mostly older building stock. We have set the bold target of being a net-zero city by 2040, but this is only achievable if we urgently tackle emissions from commercial buildings, with property owners and businesses of all sizes fully committed to this goal.” He pointed out that buildings, ranging from offices to theatres and from shops to the Houses of Parliament, account for almost 60% of Westminster’s carbon emissions. The City of Westminster produces 2.2m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, and needs to save more than 91,000 tonnes of carbon a year to meet its 2040 net zero target. Marcus Geddes, chair of the WPA and managing director of workplace at Landsec, said: “Westminster is the beating heart of London, and in order to continue to attract businesses and people from all over the world it must also lead the way in becoming a sustainable city. “This can only be achieved through close collaboration between property owners and their occupiers. Collectively, we can reduce operational carbon emissions and build a greener, more sustainable future for Westminster and beyond.” Businesses that sign the charter, which was launched in November last year, commit to sharing knowledge and best practice in reducing operational carbon emissions and receive a toolkit and ongoing support. The charter obliges all signatories to: Undertake energy use assessments of their buildings within two years of signing up, and every three years after that. Adopt green leases at renewal or change of occupancy which formalise measures undertaken to reduce energy consumption and waste. Deliver energy efficiency improvements by installing renewables, switching to electric fuel and buying green electricity. Demonstrate a clear plan for sustainable procurement. Enable and incentivise modes of active travel, including provision of shower facilities and cycle-to-work schemes, and commit to replace all diesel/petrol/hybrid vehicles with zero-emission vehicles by 2040. Consolidate waste collection and commit to a clear waste reduction plan. Click here to find out more about the charter and to download it. Signatories to the Westminster Sustainable City Charter Axis Europe Bourlet Close Properties CBRE Darling Associates Derwent London eOffice Gerald Eve GPE Grosvenor Harley Street BID Hill Dickinson Hollyport Capital Imperial College Healthcare Trust JLL L Saha Landsec Lazard Lazari London School of Economics & Political Science Make Architects Makeversity Old Park Lane Management Paddington Arts Paddington Development Trust Pocket App The Portman Estate Royal Opera House Rustic Coffee Savills Shaftesbury Capital University of Westminster Veolia Victor Harris Commercial Westminster City Council Whitbread To send feedback, e-mail piers.wehner@eg.co.uk or tweet @PiersWehner or @EGPropertyNews See which agents are doing the most deals in the London submarkets with our On-Demand Rankings >> Photo courtesy of Westminster City Council