Heritage is not a barrier to climate resilience – it’s part of the solution

For historic city centres, building climate resilience is often framed as a trade-off between cutting carbon and preserving heritage. In reality, this is a false choice. As Earth Day focuses attention on the urgent task of building a more sustainable future, the challenge for the built environment is not whether to prioritise sustainability or cultural identity, but how to deliver both, at pace and at scale.

Across the UK, the transition to a low carbon economy presents both challenges and opportunities for the sector. In historic global destinations, this takes on a distinct dimension: we must reduce carbon while safeguarding cultural heritage and economic vitality.

At first glance, these priorities can seem in tension. Can prioritising climate resilience really work alongside protecting cultural heritage and promoting economic vibrancy? On closer inspection, they can and should reinforce one another. The real challenge lies in how this is delivered in complex, historic urban environments.

Take the West End, for example. It is one of the UK’s most complex urban environments: historic and globally significant, with layers of listed buildings, constrained sites and intensive daily use. Here, the challenge of decarbonisation becomes tangible. Reducing operational carbon in use cannot rely on wholesale redevelopment; it must consider the constraints of the existing fabric, while sustaining the character, activity and economic vitality that define the area.

This calls for a context sensitive approach that prioritises retrofit, re-use and adaptation. By working with existing buildings and infrastructure, we can retain the identity of a place while meaningfully reducing carbon, safeguarding heritage alongside climate.

At the same time, demand for high quality, climate resilient workplaces continues to grow. With prime office space at a premium, occupiers are increasingly focused on longevity, seeking buildings that will remain relevant, efficient and desirable over time. Retrofit for the long term can play a critical role here, improving performance today while mitigating the significant carbon costs of future redevelopment.

This shift is particularly necessary as expectations around workplace energy performance continue to rise. EPC standards for commercial buildings will tighten significantly in 2030, placing a growing share of London’s office stock at risk of obsolescence without substantial, energy-focused retrofit.

In this context, a triple imperative emerges. Urban landlords must reduce operational carbon, preserve heritage and, in doing so, meet the demand for high quality, durable office spaces. Done well, these objectives can be complementary.

Our redevelopment of One Hanover Street (pictured) brings this type of symbiotic approach to life. Originally built at the end of the nineteenth century, the building underwent major redevelopment behind the façade in the early 2000s and is home to the Apple store on Regent Street.

We are now repositioning the office levels to meet future-ready sustainability standards while preserving its architectural identity and enhancing its street presence. Across 124,000 sq ft, the building will provide six floors of climate resilient workspace, alongside a new rooftop pavilion and terrace overlooking the West End.

The full pre-let to Ares Management reflects the demand for high quality office space. Alongside other workplaces across the West End, buildings like this support a steady flow of workers into the area, helping to underpin its day-to-day vitality and extending its heritage as a vibrant, globally significant destination.

Meaningful climate resilience cannot be achieved through isolated projects alone. It requires a coordinated, long-term approach, ideally enacted at estate scale. At The Crown Estate, our 100-year vision connects each project to a larger goal, ensuring our places remain relevant over time.

This means integrating retrofit, new development, public realm improvements, active travel and green space to create places that are sustainable and resilient, both now and in the decades to come.

Earth Day is a reminder that the transition to a low-carbon future cannot be delayed – but nor can it be delivered through short-term thinking. For places like the West End, climate resilience must be built over decades, not development cycles.

That means treating heritage not as a constraint, but as a foundation – adapting and investing in it so it continues to support a vibrant, low-carbon city. If we get this right, the best of the past will not stand in the way of progress; it will help to lead it.