Climate change has rarely been a hotter topic but how is placemaking responding to the challenge?

The Government has set an emissions target of net zero by 2050. But with nearly a third of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions coming from buildings, how is the industry responding?

The long lifespan of buildings and the difficulties to retrofit energy efficient measures mean that future emissions are being built into the fabric of developments and will take decades to reverse. Will construction methods have to change?

Planning policy has placed a greater emphasis on issues relevant to climate change in recent years . Will the rules tighten even further and what will the impact on the industry be?

Our panel of property experts will discuss what is currently being done, how they see environmental concerns influencing placemaking, and what Leeds can or should be doing to be leading the way.

Our panel will include:

• Angela Barnicle, Leeds City Council’s chief officer for asset management and regeneration
• Chris Thompson, managing director, Citu
• Amanda Beresford, Shulmans’ head of planning and president of Leeds Chamber of Commerce
• Professor Chris Gorse, Professor of Construction and Project Management, School Of Built Environment, Engineering And Computing
• April Marsden, Associate Architect at Bowman Riley
• Alex Turner, joint managing director, TheBusinessDesk.com