The reality of reaching Nottingham’s carbon-neutral target

The first UK city to become carbon neutral by 2028 – this is the ambitious target set by Nottingham City Council. Our relationship manager, Jenna Frudd, stresses we need to all sing from the same hymn sheet for this to happen, with a collaborative effort by the public and private sectors.

Late last year we sponsored the Insider Economic Forum Nottingham 2022, which was attended by the great and good of Nottinghamshire, and saw three panels discuss the multi-billion-pound redevelopment opportunities in the region.

I took part in the first panel discussion alongside Tom Huffsmith of Conygar, project manager for The Island Quarter, and Mark Deakin, regional strategic director at Turner & Townsend. We discussed a range of topics around the Southside redevelopment programme, turning the Broad Marsh site into a landmark green destination and the £1bn regeneration scheme at The Island Quarter. As well as, of course, Nottingham’s bid to become carbon neutral by 2028.

It was universally agreed that we’re very proud of Nottingham’s bold and ambitious commitment to becoming the first carbon-neutral city in the country – it’s a real talking point and sets us apart. But it will need a collaborative effort to reach this goal and, with 25% of all carbon emissions produced by the built environment, the construction industry has the power to create real change.

Net zero carbon vs carbon neutral

To achieve the targets, the very least we need is to all be on the same page, but across the three panels, and in the questions asked by the audience, the terms carbon neutral and net-zero carbon were used interchangeably, when in fact they mean different things.

Net zero-carbon is the ultimate end goal set out in the Government’s 2050 targets, whereas carbon neutral is more of a key milestone on a sustainability journey.

One of the main differentiators between the two terms is that being net-zero carbon requires a company, product or building to reduce carbon and energy consumption as much as possible. In the world of construction, this means that a building is highly energy efficient and is powered by renewable energy sources. It’s only at this point that any remaining carbon should be offset through certified schemes.

In contrast, a carbon-neutral building doesn’t necessarily have to be energy efficient or powered by renewable energy. Instead, all of the building’s carbon emissions can be balanced out by funding an equivalent amount of carbon savings elsewhere in the world through certified schemes. Best-practice does encourage annual carbon reduction, but it isn’t necessarily a requirement.

Willmott Dixon has been carbon neutral in its own operations for more than a decade. However, guided by our Now or Never sustainability strategy, which kicked off in 2020, and our recently-launched Decarbonise Today service, we are actively stepping up our efforts with a series of ambitious targets for 2030.

We’re already at the forefront of delivering highly sustainable buildings and work closely with customers to help educate and advise on carbon reduction and removal. The construction industry is high-impact, so small changes can have a massive influence – especially across our projects in Nottingham where we are already so focused on sustainability.

New projects and refurbishment schemes form a big part of this. We worked on the demolition of the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre in recent years and it’s a great opportunity for the city to reimagine this key area. I personally welcome the plans to introduce some green space – a mini Central Park – which has had to be commercially viable in order to influence true regeneration.

Panelist views on Nottingham’s regeneration

Mark Deakin picked up on this thread, agreeing that the Southside redevelopment is having a huge impact on the city and its skyline. He said: “The combination of projects – Broad Marsh, Unity Square, The Island Quarter, and many more – are a catalyst for regeneration. It’s a big opportunity to move the business district from the north of the city – where the buildings, such as those around the Ropewalk, weren’t designed to be offices – to a purpose-built mixed-use area in the Southside.

“We need to take note of other cities during this process – and learn from what they got right and wrong – as Nottingham needs a good mix of refurbished existing stock and shiny new buildings. I’m an advocate for tall buildings – and I think we could take some inspiration from Sheffield as they’ve worked hard on a solid built environment mix and it’s paying off.”

Tom Huffsmith was also adamant that Nottingham’s bid to become the UK’s first carbon-neutral city by 2028 is a head-turner but thinks capitalising on it will be crucial.

He added: “At Conygar, we have embraced Nottingham’s carbon-neutral targets and included the aspirations in our planning for The Island Quarter. Our 36-acre site is set to bring residential homes, office space, a hotel, retail, leisure and more across the next decade so this is a commitment we take very seriously.

“Net zero isn’t a ‘nice to have’ anymore – we all need to be striving to be as sustainable as possible. Part of this will be bringing the city together as the assets are here but it’s all very fractured. We need a central, charging force to position Nottingham as a go-to city for sustainable thinking as well as the wider offering.”

It’s therefore clear that collaboration between the private and public sector is required to reach that fast-approaching 2028 deadline. We need to think bigger and bolder and not just consider our individual buildings and projects but the wider city and how it all fits together to create a carbon-neutral city we’re all very proud of.

The second event panel saw Sajeeda Rose, corporate director for growth and city development at Nottingham City Council, interviewed by Ian Griffin, Midlands deputy editor at Insider, about how the city will benefit from both devolution as well as becoming net-zero carbon, and the council’s ambitious aims.

The third and final panel included Deborah Gordon Brown from Shoosmiths, Phil McDermott from E.on and Adam Altoft of HMRC, who discussed how the city’s redevelopment and carbon-neutral status will help to attract and retain talent for major employers as well as establish itself as one of Europe’s most sustainable major business, residential, retail and leisure destinations.