Done right, home and place-based retrofit can be a transformative tool: reducing emissions, cutting bills, protecting health, restoring biodiversity, and helping communities thrive. That’s the vision of the Regenerative Places Programme

At a time when 6.5 million UK homes are in fuel poverty, £1.4 billion is spent by the NHS every year on illnesses caused by cold homes, and only 42.3% of the UK’s biodiversity remains, the case for a more regenerative approach to placemaking has never been stronger. 

That’s why Ridge is proud to be a partner on the UK Green Building Council’s Regenerative Places Programme – a pioneering initiative that recognises the urgent need to go beyond decarbonisation alone. 

Retrofit as catalyst for community regeneration 

The decarbonisation of our built environment is fundamental to tackling climate change. Yet if we fail to consider retrofit within a wider social and ecological context, we risk missing powerful opportunities to improve health, wellbeing, nature and resilience at the community level. 

UKGBC’s Net Zero Whole Life Carbon Roadmap shows that homes represent the largest share of emissions from the UK’s built environment. With around two-thirds of UK homes rated EPC ‘D’ or below, millions of households are not only wasting energy – they are vulnerable to both climate and economic shocks. 

The Regenerative Places programme responds to this challenge through a place-based retrofit strategy – one that aims to deliver much more than carbon reduction. By working directly with communities, local authorities and industry partners, the programme is exploring how retrofit can catalyse broader regenerative benefits such as: 

• Decarbonising heat and energy  
• Improving biodiversity and green space  
• Offering health and social value benefits  
• Strengthening climate resilience 

 

A holistic and locally led approach

We believe that delivering retrofit at scale can only happen through a joined-up top-down and bottom-up model. National government must set the vision, strategy and funding mechanisms – but it’s local people and networks who will drive delivery on the ground. 

Through our partnership with UKGBC Ridge is helping to support a co-created, community-led process – one that builds capacity within local networks and encourages people to shape the future of their own homes and neighbourhoods. 

At Ridge, we believe regeneration must go hand-in-hand with collaboration, Being part of UKGBC’s Regenerative Places Programme allows us to work alongside forward-thinking partners and local communities to explore what truly sustainable, resilient places can look like. It’s a powerful opportunity to help shape a future where people and nature thrive together.

 

Phil Kelly, Sustainability Partner at Ridge.

Find out more about the UKGBC Regenerative Places programme.