The UK must introduce a national retrofit strategy as a matter of urgency, the new RIBA president said at the conclusion of COP26.

Simon Allford, who was in Glasgow for the climate summit, also called on the government to toughen up the Future Homes and Future Buildings Standards which were announced at the start of this year and immediately criticised for their lack of ambition.

He said: “Despite the disappointing weakening of language around the phasing out of coal and fossil fuel subsidies, this pact safeguards the target of limiting global warming to 1.5C, and makes it just about achievable. Importantly, the pact also requires governments to ‘revisit and strengthen’ their 2030 targets by the end of next year – we must welcome that.

…