Wendling estate

• WE are concerned that Camden Council is not offering residents a proper choice when it comes to renewal of housing estates, (Estate to be demolished as 75 per cent back new homes, July 29).

The refurbishment options offered to residents of Wendling and West Kentish Town estates during consultation consisted of a few rectangles with the word “refurbishment” written next to them.

There was no information given to explain how a retrofit scheme could address building defects and transform existing spaces into enjoyable places.

There was no explanation about how retrofit can help keep communities together and spare neighbours the misery of living next to a demolition site.

And there was nothing about how refurbishment is by far the greenest option when it comes to redevelopment; this is acknowledged in many countries which require building owners to develop a refurbishment option before they get permission for demolition.

The housing that Camden is building now does not become “zero carbon” until around 2080.

This is because of the high level of embodied carbon in its concrete and steel structure, which takes around 60 years to be offset by the carbon saved though increased insulation and more energy-efficient heating and lighting.

Given that we have 10 to 30 years to make a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions if we are to have a chance of keeping the planet at a liveable temperature, this is simply too late.

As Camden Council has committed to addressing the climate and ecological emergency, it should develop retrofit options for all redevelopment projects.

To date there has very little enthusiasm for retrofit as an alternative to demolition; and no effort has been made to explore the potential. This needs to change.

In those cases where refurbishment is shown by this process to be unfeasible, new construction must to be built to ambitious low-embodied carbon standards as recommended by the Royal Institute of British Architects and others.

BUILT ENVIRONMENT GROUP
CLIMATE EMERGENCY CAMDEN