LEEDS PROPERTY FORUM Sustainability aims: Hero, or Zero?

While the principles of the ‘net zero agenda’ are to be welcomed, applying them in practice needs careful consideration. This was the view of attendees at a recent Leeds Property Forum gathering.

The audience, made up mainly of Leeds and Bradford-based property representatives, heard how environmental sustainability needs to be accompanied by social and economic sustainability for it to be successful. One speaker, Robert Hopkins of AHR, challenged the perception that social sustainability is less measurable than environmental sustainability in a thought-provoking and stimulating presentation.

BDP’s David Rudlin noted how the race is on to become the UK’s first carbon neutral city. While Nick Kealey of Arcadis had earlier asked the audience to think about redefining prosperity, and produced an ‘index’ –or league table, if you like – of the world’s top 20 most sustainable cities. Would you like to know which city is ‘top of the pops’, and where in the index Leeds is? Well, you should have come to the event!

Current Leeds Property Forum Chair, Gerald Jennings, said: “While the net zero objectives are understandable and need serious and careful consideration, they need to be balanced with the social and economic factors that are also important. This event was able to look in the round at the various effects on the property sector, and I’m sure that we’ll revisit this topic again in the future.”