MediaCityUK in Salford Credit: iStock ChrisHepburn
Eleven office developments in Liverpool and Greater Manchester have been certified as net-zero carbon under the UK Green Building Council’s (UKGBC) standard.
The properties, managed by Peel L&P, include MediaCityUK’s The Vic, The Alex, Quay West and the Digital World Centre, along with TraffordCity’s Venus and Liverpool Waters’ Princes Dock.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham hailed the developments as exemplars of his environmental vision for the city. ‘If we are to deliver on our carbon-neutral commitment for 2038, published in our five-year environment plan, we need to make deep cuts, urgently, in emissions from our building stock,’ he said. ‘Peel L&P has shown that those deep cuts are not only possible, but that they’re also good for business. The message to others now is pretty clear: no excuses, if Peel L&P can pull this off, so can you.’
The net-zero standard was achieved in stages – first by building to Breeam standards, and then investing heavily in energy efficiency and offsetting the remaining emissions through a tree-planting programme in Nnorth West England.
In 2011, Peel achieved Breeam communities standard for its MediaCityUK developments, gained ISO 5001 certification in 2015, and, last year, invested £859,000 in energy-efficiency measures, which it estimates will reduce the annual emissions of its office tenants by 13%.
