Subpar conversions in Britain could be rendered uninhabitable if temperatures continue to rise, with almost 90,000 properties considered ‘at risk’ by a leading insurer.
According to research by academics at the London School of Economics [LSE], around half of British homes carry a risk of becoming overheated already. Under a 2C global warming scenario 90% of UK properties would be prone to overheating.
However, poor quality conversions transforming commercial into residential space are likely to exacerbate this problem due to inadequate ventilation, cooling systems and external shading, making them more vulnerable to the ‘urban heat island’ effect. A UCL study has also suggested this is more likely to effect vulnerable people, severely impacting their quality of life.
Figures from Downing Street show there has been a 20% year-on-year increase in applications to convert residential to commercial spaces, with the number of homebased workers rising exponentially since Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns. Meanwhile, summertime temperatures in Europe are on an upward trend, with 2022 and 2023 producing record breaking heat in many countries, including the UK.
‘As legislation continues to evolve, enabling underutilised properties to be repurposed to help ease the housing shortage, the number of office-to-residential conversions has continued to rise,’ said Paul Redington, Zurich’s Major Loss Property Claims Manager. ‘Increasing the UK’s housing stock is vital and understandably high on the government’s agenda, however it’s important that conversions are well-designed and well-built.’
‘For example, including cooling features to avoid creating homes that overheat and suffer other issues, such as the escape of water,’ he continued. ‘As more intense and frequent heatwaves become a dominant feature of the UK’s summertime, developers need to ensure ventilation and shading are considered to create homes that are safe and resilient to our changing climate.’
Over 89,500 new homes have been added to the UK property market through commercial conversions, a figure which is set to increase as part of the Government’s commitment to deliver 1.5million homes in the coming years. In contrast to new builds, rules forcing developers to address address overheating issues do not apply to the conversion or redevelopment of an existing property.
‘The continuing pre-occupation in the commercial property sector with what are frequently referred to as ‘stranded assets’ – properties that do not meet future regulatory efficiency standards or market expectations – is increasing pressure to find alternative uses for these properties,’ said Tony Mulhall, Senior Specialist in Planning & Development at RICS. ‘Government policies and standards on embodied carbon make building adaptation the main route to re-use, and, in a country experiencing a severe housing shortage and increasing residential property values, conversion to residential is an obvious consideration which the Government has facilitated through various regulatory relaxations.’
‘It is important to enable the re-use of buildings no longer needed for their original purpose to a use for which there is a fundamental need, but the buildings need to be fundamentally suitable for such conversions. Additionally, the residential standards applied need to ensure we don’t create problems in the future, especially with increasing temperatures predicted,’ he continued. ‘Natural light and ventilation are just two of the key standards that need to be met but there is one often neglected – direct access to external space such as a balcony. Direct outdoor space will become increasingly important as people grow older and less mobile however for developers relying on ‘Permitted Development Rights’ to convert, this would draw them back into the planning permission regime – something they would probably wish to avoid.’
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