London Assembly urges Sadiq Khan to accelerate home retrofitting amid heatwave risks

Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan PA Archive Kumail Jaffer , LDRS Reporter | Tom Place , News Reporter 1 minute ago COMMENTS Mass retrofitting of London’s overheating homes must be done quickly to avoid putting over one million children at risk of health issues, the Mayor has been warned.

This summer is on course to be the UK’s hottest since records began, according to the Met Office , with longer and more intense heatwaves predicted in future.

And London had the highest proportion of deaths attributable to both the hottest and coldest days, according to ONS data released today.

Max Anderson of the Conservative Environment Network said: “Whilst Labour continue to allow red tape to get in the way of air conditioning and greening up London, they are putting Londoners’ lives at risk.

“Without air conditioning, London homes are turning into ovens that are threatening everyone from new-borns to pensioners.

“There also must be more street trees in London to protect people from heat stroke or worse. The perverse, confusing rules on planting trees alongside roads make it nearly impossible for councils to green up cities.”

Shadow Minister for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities David Simmonds PA Media David Simmonds, the Shadow Minister for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, added: “Londoners are dying because of hairshirt anti-air conditioning rules. Confusing regulations for planting trees alongside streets is leading to less greenery across the city, exposing more residents to the full harm of these heat waves. This is not only hurting people’s productivity and their day-to-today health, but is now killing Londoners at a disproportionate rate as our climate gets warmer.”

City Hall has already acknowledged that major reforms are needed to prepare and future-proof the capital for extreme conditions.

The Greater London Authority’s (GLA) Heat Ready London strategy, unveiled in June, lays out plans to expand access to cool spaces and increase urban greening in a desperate bid to cool down the city.

However, the London Assembly Planning and Regeneration Committee have now warned Sir Sadiq Khan that extra focus needs to be placed on accelerating the retrofitting of homes through passive cooling measures to ensure they are “fit for a warming climate”.

75 per cent of London’s social housing stock is considered at high risk of overheating, which could place more than one million children at increased risk, according to a new report from the cross-party group of Assembly Members.

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