The Greater London Authority’s circular economy policies are already having an impact, with major schemes in the capital already being asked to address circularity.

The GLA has now published its final versions of the guidance for Circular Economy Statements, as well as the guidance for Whole Life Carbon Assessments. This comes after extensive consultation with industry, with the final guidance emphasising the importance of refurbishment over new build and applicants now having to demonstrate that the benefits of demolition outweigh the benefits of retrofit.

Both Gilli and Katherine of Reusefully have been involved in the development of this, with Gilli inputting into the Circular Economy Primer and Katherine reviewing circular economy statements for the GLA.

The final version, in fact, prioritises retention, refurbishment and deconstruction over demolition, with a new decision tree that includes a hierarchy and additional guidance on pre-refurbishment and pre-demolition audits.

The GLA now has over a year of data from the Circular Economy Statements that have been submitted during the consultation stage of the guidance and is publishing figures to provide applicants with guidance on good and best practice performance. It is also asking for more information at the Outline Application stage to drive decision-making at the early, influential changes of a construction project.

Moving to a more circular economy and reducing embodied carbon in this way is essential for meeting London’s net zero targets, as well as helping the whole of the UK to tackle the climate crisis. This newly published guidance is another major step in the move to implement this on major construction projects in London. 

You can read more here on the GLA’s final Circular Economy Statement Guidance and for more information and help with Circular Economy Statements, feel free to contact us.