Brand new guidance has been issued to directly address how property development in the UK must adapt to an increasingly volatile climate – the first of its kind.
The UK Climate Resilience Roadmap, published by the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), marks a pivotal step for the sector, with everything from homes and hospitals to schools and infrastructure required to comply.
Thrings’ Clean Energy lead Natalia Sokolov takes a look at what developers need to know.
A built environment under pressure
The roadmap brings a warning that unless urgent and decisive steps are taken, key areas of the UK could become uninhabitable by the end of the century, with developers and investors required to now look well beyond energy performance certificates and into the structural and operational resilience of their projects.
The roadmap, which urges policymakers and industry alike to prioritise climate resilience, identifies five core climate hazards threatening the UK’s built environment – overheating, flooding, drought, wildfires, and storms.
Pointing towards the potential direction of future regulation, the UKGBC’s headline policy recommendations are:
What this means for developers
The implications of the roadmap are far-reaching with key areas of focus for developers, asset managers, and investors including:
Climate risk is increasingly a material consideration in development planning. Flood plains, heat islands, and fire-prone zones will increasingly be subject to scrutiny – not only by regulators, but also by mortgage lenders, insurers, and potential buyers.
Developers should anticipate a tightening of planning requirements in high-risk areas. Proactive engagement with local authorities and detailed risk assessments will be necessary to future-proof portfolios.
The roadmap calls for climate-adaptive strategies from day one of project design, construction and development, which in reality are just as economic as they are environmental. These include:
UKGBC’s four-stage framework encourages resilience to be integrated across the project lifecycle. From feasibility studies to long-term asset management, developers must consider how buildings will withstand a changing climate – not just on completion, but for decades to come.
This could mean a broader uptake of tools such as Physical Climate Risk Assessment Methodologies (PCRAMs) and an increase in dynamic, data-driven approaches to managing climate exposure.
Resilience is rapidly becoming a core feature of ESG-driven investment decisions. Developers who can demonstrate robust climate risk management will not only reduce future liabilities but also enhance asset appeal to institutional investors and ‘green’ or ethical lenders.
Conversely, there is an increased likelihood of rising insurance premiums and reduced finance availability for properties and designs not meeting emerging climate standards. From a legal standpoint, developers should begin reviewing project construction, planning and real estate documents, warranties, and planning applications with a resilience lens.
With a growing demand for professionals experienced in adaptive design, natural capital, and nature-based solutions, the roadmap’s emphasis on innovation and green skills should not be overlooked.
Developers should look to build resilience into supply chain strategy – working closely with consultants, contractors, and material suppliers to embed climate adaptation throughout the delivery process.
Successful projects will depend on early and sustained collaboration with local authorities and communities. Planning departments are likely to update local plans with specific resilience targets, and developers should be ready to demonstrate how proposals align with wider climate strategies.
Next steps: From policy to practice
With the roadmap clearly pushing the message that resilience is not an add-on, there are certain actions that developers should look to target in their practices:
Thrings’ Clean Energy team of specialist lawyers from across the firm’s many disciplines advises commercial developers and agricultural landowners on the legal aspects of clean energy, environment and biodiversity, providing holistic advice to ensuring the success of sustainable projects. Get in contact to find out more.