Eighteen disused buildings in Greater Manchester could be retrofitted to unlock environmental benefits, says Save Britain’s Heritage.
The campaign group has added the buildings to its Buildings at Risk register, which already contains more than 1,000 disused properties across the UK that could be retrofitted for historical preservation amid efforts to cut carbon emissions.
As reported by Sky News, the charity’s buildings at risk officer Liz Fuller said: “The carbon cost of demolishing buildings and then getting rid of all of the rubble and then building a new building is huge.
“The construction industry accounts for a huge percentage of the amount of carbon that’s being emitted.”
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“We’ve started from a point of trying to protect historic buildings, but it’s become increasingly clear that that’s not the only thing that we need to be worrying about,” Fuller added.
“We do need to be worrying about the environment and the two things have come together.”
Last year, retailer Marks and Spencer was at the core of a demolition debate as its plans to initial plans to demolish and rebuild the flagship Marble Arch store was rejected by the government.
However, the High Court gave M&S the green light to challenge the government, which CEO Stuart Machin welcomed, saying it has “amazing plans” to transform its into a “modern, sustainable building” as its holds firm on its demolition plans.
