Sutton has positioned itself as a pioneering London borough in the race toward environmental sustainability and carbon neutrality. The London Borough of Sutton’s ambitious vision to become London’s most sustainable borough by 2025 represents one of the most comprehensive local government climate initiatives in the United Kingdom. This transformation encompasses everything from revolutionary building standards and renewable energy deployment to transport infrastructure redesign and circular economy implementation. The borough declared a climate emergency in 2019 and committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions across the entire borough, setting in motion a series of transformative policies and projects that are reshaping how residents live, work, and interact with their environment.
Sutton’s Carbon Neutral Vision and Timeline
The London Borough of Sutton adopted its Environment Strategy 2019-2025 as the foundational framework for achieving carbon neutrality. This strategy sets out an ambitious vision where Sutton will be London’s most sustainable borough with a net zero carbon future characterised by cleaner air, more journeys taken by bike, public transport or on foot, increased and interconnected green spaces that protect and enhance nature and biodiversity, renewable energy sources, and well-insulated homes that are warm in winter and cool in summer.
The borough’s commitment extends beyond municipal operations to encompass the entire community. All council buildings were targeted to become zero carbon by 2012, with the whole borough enabled to achieve one planet living by 2025. As part of BioRegional’s One Planet Regions programme, Sutton became the first municipality endorsed under this framework in 2008, committing to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by at least 80 percent by 2025 and reduce its ecological footprint by 65 percent during the same timeframe.
Sutton’s annual approach to reviewing the Environment Strategy and Climate Emergency Response Plan enables the borough to adapt to the national policy landscape while maintaining local ambitions. The latest emissions data indicates that the borough produced 564.4 kilotons of carbon dioxide in 2019, with the majority of emissions originating from domestic properties at 47.7 percent and transport sources at 28.9 percent. This data-driven approach has allowed the borough to focus delivery on these key emission sectors and allocate resources where they will have the greatest impact.
The council recognised from the outset that achieving these targets is extremely ambitious and challenging for both the council and the wider borough, requiring action from all members of society. Success requires financial, legislative and regulatory support from the government as well as advancements in technology and radical behaviour change from residents and businesses alike.
Pioneering Building Standards and Passivhaus Construction
Sutton has established itself as a national leader in ultra-low energy building standards through its pioneering adoption of Passivhaus construction. The borough’s zero carbon standards guide ensures that all new and refurbished council-led developments achieve net zero carbon, helping reduce both operational and embodied carbon emissions while serving as a model for sustainable construction across London.
Harris Academy Sutton represents the flagship achievement in this arena as the first secondary school in the United Kingdom built to Passivhaus standard and the largest Passivhaus school in the country. Completed in July 2019 at a cost of 40 million pounds, this four-storey building accommodates 1,275 pupils and 95 staff across 10,625 square metres. The school features timber frame construction with natural materials including timber and copper acting as structural and decorative touches, creating an inspiring learning environment while minimizing carbon emissions.
The academy was designed with exceptional energy efficiency at its core, featuring a highly insulated and airtight envelope to minimise fabric heat losses, control heat gains and provide excellent air quality with natural ventilation. Embodied carbon modelling tools were used alongside Passivhaus Planning Package software throughout the design process. Timber was included as extensively as possible through timber cladding, timber frame infill, and timber batten ceiling finishes, with concrete chosen only for critical structural areas. The building forms the cornerstone of the London Cancer Hub and has a special focus on science disciplines, featuring 11 laboratories to suit the STEM school’s science-focused aspirations.
In 2019, Sutton also opened the United Kingdom’s first Passivhaus Plus net carbon positive primary school at Hackbridge. This achievement demonstrated that schools could not only minimise energy consumption but actually generate more renewable energy than they consume, creating a net positive environmental impact. These flagship projects were intended to establish new standards that would become the norm rather than exceptional showcase developments.
The council’s commitment to sustainable construction standards extends to all new council homes, schools and retrofitting projects across the existing council estate. By integrating these rigorous standards into procurement processes and planning policies, Sutton ensures that every new development contributes to rather than detracts from the borough’s carbon reduction objectives.
Revolutionary Home Retrofit Programme
Domestic properties represent the main source of carbon emissions in Sutton at 47.7 percent of the borough total, making home retrofit the single most critical element of the carbon neutrality strategy. Since the COVID-19 pandemic changed how people use their homes, with residents now using heating and electricity throughout the day due to increased working from home, the importance of retrofit has only intensified.
Sutton Housing Partnership has secured significant funding for a pioneering zero carbon pilot project in partnership with Energiesprong, a revolutionary retrofit approach that transforms existing homes to net zero energy standards. The initial phase retrofitted five homes of non-traditional Unity construction dating from the mid to late 1940s, which had uninsulated cavities and resulted in high energy bills for tenants.
These semi-detached houses were brought up to minimum net zero energy standard through a comprehensive whole-house approach. Measures included external wall and cavity wall insulation, solar photovoltaic panels, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery systems, triple glazed windows and doors, and air source heat pumps. The retrofit reduces the need for heating and cooling, eliminates draughts and cold areas, improves feelings of comfort, enhances internal air quality, provides renewable electricity generation, and makes electric heating affordable.
The Energiesprong approach focuses on creating highly desirable homes that use very little energy, using the money that would normally be paid on energy bills and maintenance to pay for the works. The standard guarantees real life performance for both indoor comfort and energy use for up to 30 years, ensuring that the cost of living does not increase despite the significant capital investment in retrofit measures.
Eleven homes have been retrofitted to the Energiesprong performance model in Sutton so far, with subsequent phases rolling out to approximately 100 homes funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Over 1,900 homes in Sutton are suitable for this retrofit approach, representing enormous potential for borough-wide emission reductions.
The London Borough of Sutton has been successful in attracting significant government funding to kick-start this ambitious energy-saving programme. The first two phases of whole house retrofit have been delivered to 12 homes managed by Sutton Housing Partnership in the Coulsdon area, with homes having their external walls and roof areas covered in thick insulation to reduce heat loss, windows and doors replaced, and solar panels installed. The transformed homes now generate most of the energy needed for their heating, hot water and electrical appliances.
This represents a fundamentally different approach from previous programmes that upgraded windows or installed loft insulation in isolation. While such measures are beneficial, they do not make the significant impact needed to achieve net zero emissions. The whole-house retrofit approach enables substantial improvements in the home’s ability to retain heat and minimise energy consumption, tackling fuel poverty while advancing climate objectives.
Phase two of the programme draws on lessons learned from the initial homes, including the finding that multi-measure energy solutions proved more disruptive to tenants than acceptable and cost reduction potential was not evidenced. Future phases will utilise integrated, offsite manufacturing solutions to reduce disruption and demonstrate cost efficiencies. Sutton Housing Partnership is part of the Innovation Partnership developed through the Mayor of London’s Retrofit Accelerator Homes programme alongside Turner and Townsend, a ground-breaking approach to procuring and developing deep retrofit solutions designed to unlock up to ten billion pounds of market potential and kickstart large-scale whole-house retrofit for UK homes.
Affordable Housing and Sustainable Development
Sutton’s commitment to sustainability extends to ensuring that affordable housing remains accessible while meeting the highest environmental standards. The borough has witnessed several major new developments designed to provide affordable housing while incorporating sustainable design principles and energy-efficient features.
Sutton Point represents one of the largest developments, offering 332 flats, an 80-bed hotel, and 59 serviced flats with amenities including resident lounges and a private dining room that foster a communal atmosphere. Its prime location near Sutton Station makes it particularly attractive for commuters seeking to reduce car dependency. New Mill Quarter features contemporary apartments and family homes with on-site gardens and a Lidl supermarket for added convenience, while the Well House development offers one, two and three-bedroom apartments with resident lounges and an on-site gym.
Applicants for affordable housing in Sutton must demonstrate a housing need and have resided in the borough for at least two years to qualify for the Housing Register, prioritising those with community ties. Eligibility can be denied if applicants have sufficient funds to rent privately. The Sutton Council considers various factors including past rent arrears or anti-social behaviour, requiring applicants to demonstrate improvement for at least one year before qualifying. This policy helps maintain community harmony and ensures responsible allocation of housing resources.
Shared ownership options allow first-time buyers to acquire a stake in property, making homeownership more accessible for those with an income below 80,000 pounds. The neighbourhoods in Sutton known for affordable housing include The Lavenders, Cheam Village and Carshalton, which feature a variety of home styles and strong community connections.
These new developments provide high-specification finishes and excellent locations tailored for modern living while contributing to the borough’s sustainability objectives through energy-efficient design, proximity to public transport, and integration of green spaces. By ensuring that sustainability and affordability go hand in hand, Sutton demonstrates that environmental ambition need not come at the expense of housing accessibility.
Renewable Energy and Decentralised Energy Networks
Renewable energy generation represents a critical component of Sutton’s pathway to carbon neutrality, with the borough implementing innovative approaches to both large-scale energy infrastructure and household-level generation.
The Sutton Decentralised Energy Network represents a pioneering initiative that brings the borough closer to achieving zero carbon emissions by utilising waste heat from the Beddington Energy Recovery Facility and existing landfill gas engines, both owned by Viridor. Instead of this heat being wasted, it is captured and repurposed into a sustainable energy source. The waste heat is converted into hot water and transported through highly insulated pipes, drastically reducing the energy typically lost during heat transport. This significantly improves energy usage efficiency in Sutton while reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The Beddington Energy Recovery Facility processes non-recyclable waste, converting it into electricity and heat. By capturing this waste heat, the Sutton Decentralised Energy Network ensures that resources are maximised and waste minimised, underscoring Sutton’s commitment to a circular economy where resources are kept in use for as long as possible. This infrastructure-scale approach to renewable energy demonstrates how municipalities can leverage existing industrial facilities to advance sustainability objectives.
At the household level, Sutton has partnered with the Greater London Authority and group-buying specialist iChoosr Ltd to bring the Solar Together London scheme to residents. This community-led initiative helps homeowners feel confident that they are paying the right price for a high-quality solar photovoltaic installation from a vetted installer, boosting local renewable energy generation. The previous year’s scheme resulted in over 1,650 installations across participating boroughs, of which 59 were in Sutton, avoiding an impressive 35,000 tonnes of lifetime carbon emissions.
The Solar Together scheme enables householders to register online to become part of a group purchasing arrangement for free and without obligation. Pre-vetted UK solar photovoltaic suppliers participate in an auction, offering compelling pricing because the volume and geographic concentration enable greater efficiencies that are passed on through lower installation prices. After the auction, registered households receive personal recommendations and can accept their recommendation to proceed with installation. Telephone and email help desks support participants throughout the process and information sessions allow households to make informed decisions in a safe and hassle-free environment.
More than 600 households in Sutton registered their interest in the most recent Solar Together scheme, demonstrating strong community engagement with renewable energy. Generating renewable energy locally lowers residents’ energy bills while supporting the Environmental Strategy, helping the borough meet its zero-carbon targets while reducing household costs of living.
Sustainable Transport and Cycling Infrastructure
Transport represents 28.9 percent of borough carbon emissions, making sustainable travel infrastructure essential to achieving carbon neutrality. Sutton has developed a comprehensive approach to reducing private car use and promoting active travel through investment in cycling infrastructure, public transport connections and behaviour change programmes.
Sutton has an extensive network of signed cycle routes following quieter roads, traffic-free paths through parks and along the River Wandle. The borough’s Cycling Strategy, which complements the Sustainable Transport Strategy, sets out the approach to encouraging cycling over the coming years. Sutton has a long history of promoting cycling, from developing a comprehensive cycle route network in the 1990s to encouraging greater cycle usage through the Smarter Travel Sutton initiative in the late 2000s.
Over 50 percent of car journeys in Sutton are less than three miles or five kilometres, a distance that could easily be undertaken by bicycle by many people. The benefits of cycling are well documented, including improvements to air quality, climate change mitigation, public health and wellbeing, productivity, travel cost savings, congestion and traffic noise reduction, and support for the local economy.
The Cycling Strategy aims to make cycling the mode of choice for short local journeys by improving the quality and legibility of cycle routes, addressing safety concerns through road safety measures, improving cycle parking facilities, and ensuring the wider road network is as cycle-friendly as possible. Cycle parking stands can be found in town centres and at key destinations such as stations, leisure centres and schools, with many employers also providing secure cycle shelters. The council provides shelters in residential estates or flats where there is no secure cycle parking.
The council works with partners including Transport for London to increase the proportion of journeys using active modes and public transport, reporting annually on improvements to cycling infrastructure. The borough participates in Transport for London Cycle Sundays, which aims to encourage Londoners to try cycling on Sundays through beginner-friendly cycle routes, cycling discounts and training developed in collaboration with British Cycling, Cycle Sisters, Joyriders, London Cycling Campaign, Sustrans and Wheels for Wellbeing.
Funding from the borough’s annual Local Implementation Plan grant from Transport for London is used to investigate and implement improvements to the existing cycle network and create new routes. Several proposed improvements and expansions to the existing cycle network will improve east-west and north-south connections as well as wayfinding along those routes, creating better, more visible and continuous cycle infrastructure.
Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Expansion
The transition from petrol and diesel vehicles to electric vehicles represents a crucial component of transport decarbonisation. Following the UK government’s announcement that the end of sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans would be brought forward to 2030, Sutton developed an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle Policy and Action Plan to encourage a shift from more polluting vehicles to electric vehicle ownership.
The borough aims to support residents to switch to electric vehicles by working with operators to increase the availability of charge points throughout Sutton. There are three broad classifications of charge points based on power output and charging time. Slow chargers up to 5.5 kilowatts are good for overnight charging for residential streets with limited off-street parking and usually take between six and twelve hours to charge. Fast chargers cover those with seven kilowatt and 22 kilowatt power outputs and charge an electric vehicle in three to four hours. Rapid chargers at 50 kilowatts usually charge an electric vehicle to 80 percent in around 30 minutes.
Electric chargers are available throughout the borough with increasing numbers of new sites across the UK on private land, local authority land and Transport for London land. The council has installed a growing number of on-street charging points including lamp column charging points, fast chargers and rapid chargers distributed across the borough to ensure accessibility for residents without off-street parking.
The council’s Ultra Low Emission Vehicle Policy and Action Plan aims to develop the infrastructure to support electric vehicle charging in locations across the borough, with plans to revise this policy and deliver a comprehensive Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy. By ensuring that charging infrastructure keeps pace with electric vehicle adoption, Sutton removes a key barrier to residents making the switch from fossil fuel vehicles to zero-emission alternatives.
Waste Reduction and Circular Economy
Sutton’s Waste Minimisation Strategy 2019-2026 sets out the borough’s vision to create an environment where waste is reduced, recycling is maximised, environmental impact is minimised, local waste sites are fully utilised, and the council leads by example with its own waste. The strategy supports the transition to a circular economy where materials are kept in use for as long as possible at their highest value through reuse, remanufacture and repair.
The vision is to create a zero waste Sutton, recognising that while recycling remains necessary in the shorter term for items that are no longer needed, the longer-term aim is to eliminate waste generation entirely through circular economy principles. The strategy includes specific objectives to reduce waste by promoting ways to produce less waste and encourage reuse instead, develop Sutton as a testbed for the circular economy, and reduce avoidable food waste by 20 percent by 2025.
To maximise recycling, the borough aims to keep Sutton’s recycling rate at 50 percent or higher, a significant achievement that places the borough among the leading recycling authorities in London. Reducing the environmental impact of waste involves encouraging civic pride and local ownership of recycling and waste minimisation by making it easy for the community to develop solutions, as well as reducing and seeking to improve waste and litter in the street environment.
The council promotes recycling and reuse at Kimpton Household Recycling and Reuse Centre, where old bikes can be recycled or reused. The strategy commits to continuing to treat waste locally, reducing transport emissions associated with waste management while supporting the local circular economy. The council applies a continuous improvement approach to waste management and minimisation, seeking funding to undertake behavioural insights projects that can identify effective interventions to reduce waste generation.
The council also commits to leading by example with its own waste by reducing council waste and increasing recycling across all council operations. This demonstrates commitment to the waste reduction objectives and provides a model for businesses and residents across the borough.
Green Spaces and Biodiversity Enhancement
Sutton’s vision includes ensuring that more than half of the borough’s space consists of green space, with commitments to maintaining and enhancing biodiversity value and planting 2,000 trees every year. During 2020, the importance of access to local green spaces became particularly evident in supporting physical and mental health as well as creating habitats and ecosystems for biodiversity to thrive.
The borough contains 50 Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation that are designated through the council’s Local Plan for the important wildlife and species-rich habitats they support. In Sutton, this includes priority habitats such as chalk meadows, lush wetlands, mature woodland and chalk rivers like the Wandle. While there are several private Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation, many have free public access and are located in parks, demonstrating that parks are far more than just grass and trees.
The Biodiversity Gardens project was a two-year Heritage Lottery Fund project run by the London Borough of Sutton’s Biodiversity team that reached beyond council-owned nature reserves and parks to traditional back gardens, school grounds, allotments and churchyards where very few biodiversity records existed. Private gardens alone cover nearly a quarter of Greater London and are fantastic areas for a wide variety of species from the small blue butterfly to the familiar Robin.
The project aimed to give people the confidence to look after wildlife habitats, take part in species monitoring and ultimately take ownership of the fantastic biodiversity in and around Sutton. The project provided management plans for 31 private gardens, six schools, three social housing sites and three churches, while collecting and sharing over 4,000 species records with the Greenspace Information for Greater London data centre. This enhanced and protected habitats, strengthened links between them and improved species survival in the local area.
The council’s GreenSpace project delivers visible green initiatives across the borough, creating interconnected habitats that allow species to move between green spaces and enhancing ecological resilience. By maintaining and expanding green infrastructure, Sutton provides crucial ecosystem services including carbon sequestration, temperature regulation, flood water absorption, air quality improvement and biodiversity support.
The commitment to planting 2,000 trees every year represents significant long-term carbon sequestration as well as immediate benefits for air quality, temperature regulation and wildlife habitat. Historic trees have been retained and celebrated as part of ecology-focused landscaping in new developments such as Harris Academy Sutton, where mature trees add maturity to the new school, contribute to the site’s biodiversity and create a buffer between the building and its residential neighbours.
Climate Adaptation and Flood Risk Management
While carbon reduction remains the primary focus, Sutton has also developed comprehensive strategies to adapt to the physical impacts of climate change that are already occurring or are inevitable given historical emissions. The Local Flood Risk Management Strategy is a high-level strategic document outlining Sutton’s approach to flood risk throughout a six-year planning period.
As the Lead Local Flood Authority, Sutton is required by the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 to develop, maintain, apply and monitor a Local Strategy for flood risk management. The strategy explains how flood risk will be mitigated across Sutton, including a summary of past and present flood risk, while acknowledging the impacts of climate change and proposing measures to ensure that Sutton can be more resilient and sustainable in its flood risk management practices in the future.
Climate change affects all residents, with flooding predicted to become more frequent and intense due to climate change, as experienced during extreme rainfall events in July and August 2022. This means that even residents not currently at flood risk may be in years to come, while those currently at risk could experience more severe flooding. This makes planning for climate adaptation essential for protecting property, infrastructure and lives.
There are various types of flooding that locations across Sutton are at risk from, including flooding from fluvial sources, ordinary watercourses, groundwater, surface water and sewers. The strategy addresses each of these flood sources with appropriate mitigation measures tailored to the specific characteristics of different areas within the borough.
The council opened the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy to public consultation to make it as effective and inclusive as possible, inviting everyone in the local community to participate including primary stakeholders, local community groups and individuals. This ensured that the strategy considered a broad range of interests within the local community and incorporated local knowledge about flood risk and potential solutions.
By addressing both climate mitigation through carbon reduction and climate adaptation through flood risk management, Sutton takes a comprehensive approach to climate resilience that protects residents and infrastructure while working toward long-term sustainability.
Education Funding and Sustainability
Education represents a crucial component of Sutton’s sustainability transition, with investment in sustainable school buildings and curriculum development that prepares young people to live and work in a low-carbon economy. Schools across Sutton receive funding through multiple streams including the Schools Block which provides money directly to mainstream schools as their main source of income, and the High Needs Block which pays for provision for all pupils and students aged 0 to 25 where the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities are considered exceptional.
The Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust has supported the advancement of education since the 1700s, with trustees agreeing a scheme to support Sutton Coldfield schools through a School Grant Scheme that operates on a three-year cycle to ensure that all eligible schools can apply within this timeframe. Schools are prioritised by the date of the last grant awarded and the amount of grants provided over a ten year period, with grants awarded to support projects and the purchase of items not generally statutorily funded.
The vitally important area of Early Learning is supported with grants to playschemes, nurseries, mother and toddler groups, Life Education Centres which deliver health and drug education, and Sutton Libraries Summer Reading Challenge which fosters the love of reading. This holistic approach to education funding ensures that sustainability principles can be embedded from the earliest years through to secondary education.
Within education funding allocations, there is the Early Years Special Educational Needs and Disabilities inclusion fund which meets the low and emerging Special Educational Needs and Disabilities needs of children accessing their free childcare entitlement in Sutton early years settings. The two main sources of funding for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in the borough are schools’ Notional Funding and the High Needs Block, ensuring that all children can access education in sustainable school buildings regardless of their individual needs.
The High Needs Block pays for provision in Education Health and Care Plans, places and top up funding for special schools including Wandle Valley, The Link, Carew and Sherwood special schools, opportunity bases in mainstream schools, and Alternative Provision including STARS and Limes. Therapies and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities support services are also funded through this allocation, ensuring comprehensive support for all learners.
By investing in sustainable school buildings such as the Passivhaus primary and secondary schools, Sutton ensures that children learn in healthy, comfortable environments that demonstrate sustainability principles in action. These buildings serve as living laboratories where students can understand renewable energy, energy efficiency, natural ventilation, sustainable materials and circular economy principles through their daily experience of the school environment.
Harris Academy Sutton’s special focus on science disciplines aims to inspire scientists of the future, building links with employment partners at the London Cancer Hub to enhance student experience and support the transition to further education with university-style learning. This integration of sustainability, science education and career pathways prepares young people to contribute to the green economy and develop the innovations necessary for society-wide carbon neutrality.
Community Engagement and Behaviour Change
Achieving carbon neutrality requires not just infrastructure investment and policy change but fundamental shifts in community behaviour and expectations. Sutton has recognised from the outset that success requires action from all members of society, with the council engaging the whole community in the work of enabling a zero-carbon lifestyle by 2025.
The inhabitants of Sutton participated in the formulation of the Environment Strategy and Climate Emergency Response Plan, ensuring that the vision and actions reflected community priorities and that residents understood their role in achieving the borough’s ambitious targets. Sutton Council and BioRegional encourage and support continued participation of residents and local businesses, with annual assessments carried out to ensure the achievement of targets and maintain accountability.
The Environment and Climate Emergency Response Plan is reviewed annually to adapt to the national picture while maintaining local ambitions. This responsive approach enables Sutton to incorporate new government policies, technological developments and community feedback while staying focused on the core objective of net zero carbon emissions. The annual review process also allows for celebration of successes and honest assessment of challenges, maintaining community engagement through transparent reporting.
The council’s commitment to being Ambitious for Sutton encompasses the priorities of Being Active Citizens, Making Informed Choices and Keeping People Safe. The Environment Strategy and Climate Emergency Response Plan support these objectives by empowering residents to take action on climate change, providing information and resources to make sustainable choices, and protecting communities from the impacts of climate change through both mitigation and adaptation measures.
Work has focused on securing funding which has particularly concentrated on government grants for retrofitting properties with efficiency measures, progressing understanding of what is needed to advance energy and decarbonisation plans including for the council’s assets, and delivery of visible green initiatives including on-the-go recycling, more cycle parking and the GreenSpace project. These visible initiatives help maintain community engagement by demonstrating tangible progress toward sustainability objectives.
The council applies for funding to undertake behavioural insights projects that can identify effective interventions to encourage sustainable behaviour change across the community. By understanding what motivates residents and removing barriers to sustainable choices, the borough can accelerate progress toward carbon neutrality while ensuring that the transition is equitable and inclusive.
Integration with London-Wide Initiatives
Sutton’s sustainability efforts are integrated with and supported by London-wide initiatives led by the Greater London Authority and Transport for London. This coordination ensures that borough-level action aligns with city-wide objectives and enables access to funding, expertise and best practice sharing that accelerates progress.
The borough is one of 12 London boroughs that partnered with the Greater London Authority and iChoosr Ltd to bring the Solar Together London scheme to homeowners, demonstrating how collaboration between boroughs can achieve economies of scale that make renewable energy more affordable and accessible. The Mayor of London’s Energy Leap programme funded the initial phase of Energiesprong Sutton, retrofitting five homes of non-traditional construction, while subsequent funding from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy enabled further phases.
Sutton Housing Partnership is part of the Innovation Partnership developed through the Mayor of London’s Retrofit Accelerator Homes programme alongside Turner and Townsend. This ground-breaking approach to procuring and developing deep retrofit solutions is designed to unlock up to ten billion pounds of market potential and kickstart large-scale whole-house retrofit for UK homes across London and beyond.
Transport for London provides annual Local Implementation Plan grants to the borough which are used to investigate and implement improvements to the existing cycle network and create new routes. Transport for London Cycle Sundays encourages Londoners to try cycling through beginner-friendly routes, discounts and training, creating a supportive environment for behaviour change across the capital.
The council works with Transport for London to increase cycling infrastructure on the Transport for London Road Network, lobbying for walking and cycling improvements that connect borough routes to strategic routes across London. The council is converting concrete lamp column stock to support a switch to LED lighting and facilities to enable future electric vehicle charging points, with coordination with Transport for London ensuring compatibility across the wider transport network.
By integrating borough actions with London-wide initiatives, Sutton leverages resources and expertise beyond what would be available to an individual borough while contributing learning and innovation that benefits other London authorities. This collaborative approach recognizes that climate change operates at multiple scales and requires coordinated action across local, city, national and international levels.
Progress Monitoring and Future Directions
The Environment Strategy and Climate Emergency Response Plan includes specific targets and actions that are reviewed annually to track progress and adapt plans based on experience, changing circumstances and new opportunities. The latest emissions data shows that the borough produced 564.4 kilotons of carbon dioxide in 2019, providing a baseline against which future reductions can be measured.
Work since October 2020 focused on securing funding particularly for retrofitting properties with efficiency measures, progressing understanding of what is needed to advance energy and decarbonisation plans including for council assets, and delivery of visible green initiatives. The Climate Emergency Response Plan incorporates new areas of focus as well as changes following the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which affected delivery timescales for some projects.
New actions for recent years include supporting residents to adapt to climate change, lobbying for walking and cycling improvements to the Transport for London Road Network, converting concrete lamp column stock to support a switch to LED lighting and facilities to enable future electric vehicle charging points. It is acknowledged that new commitments were made during COP26 in November 2021, and the council’s annual review process enables Sutton to adapt to such developments while maintaining local ambitions.
The UK government adopted a net zero target for 2050, and new environmental legislation sets legally binding targets for tackling issues including air quality. It is anticipated that new requirements will support commitments within Sutton’s Environment Strategy, for example the commitment to achieving biodiversity net gain. The council’s responsive approach ensures that borough policy remains aligned with national frameworks while maintaining leadership on local sustainability.
Delivery of the vision and targets remains extremely ambitious and challenging for both the council and the wider borough. Success continues to require financial, legislative and regulatory support from the government as well as advancements in technology and radical behaviour change. The council maintains transparency about these challenges while demonstrating unwavering commitment to the carbon neutrality objective.
Annual assessments ensure the achievement of targets and provide accountability to residents and stakeholders. By publishing progress reports and engaging the community in reviewing achievements and challenges, the council maintains support for the long-term transformation required to achieve carbon neutrality. This honest, transparent approach builds trust and sustains momentum through the inevitable challenges of a transition as ambitious as that undertaken by Sutton.
Economic Opportunities and Green Jobs
The transition to carbon neutrality creates significant economic opportunities for Sutton, with the growing green economy generating employment in renewable energy installation, retrofit construction, sustainable transport, circular economy businesses and environmental management. The council’s Opportunity Sutton initiative recognises the critical role that renewable and low-carbon energy sources play in mitigating climate change and building a sustainable future while creating local employment opportunities.
The Sutton Decentralised Energy Network represents investment in energy infrastructure that creates construction jobs during build-out and ongoing operation and maintenance employment. The network’s use of waste heat from the Beddington Energy Recovery Facility exemplifies how circular economy principles can create business models that are both environmentally sustainable and economically viable.
The retrofit programme creates employment for skilled tradespeople in insulation installation, window and door fitting, solar panel installation, heat pump installation and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery systems. As the programme scales from the initial pilot homes to the 1,900 homes suitable for the Energiesprong approach, this represents a substantial source of local employment and skills development. The Innovation Partnership’s focus on offsite manufacturing solutions may create additional manufacturing employment in the borough or region.
The Solar Together London scheme supports employment for solar photovoltaic installation companies, with the group buying approach ensuring sufficient volume to sustain local businesses while delivering cost savings to residents. The scheme’s focus on pre-vetted UK suppliers ensures that economic benefits remain within the national economy while maintaining quality standards.
The expansion of cycling infrastructure creates employment in design, construction and ongoing maintenance, while supporting growth in bicycle retail, repair and training services. The shift toward cycling for short journeys also benefits local high street businesses by increasing footfall from cyclists who can more easily stop at local shops compared to drivers seeking parking.
The waste reduction and circular economy strategy creates opportunities for businesses focused on repair, remanufacture, reuse and recycling. The Kimpton Household Recycling and Reuse Centre exemplifies how waste infrastructure can support circular economy business models, with old bikes being recycled or reused rather than landfilled. As Sutton develops as a testbed for the circular economy, it creates an environment where innovative business models can be trialled and refined before scaling to other locations.
By positioning itself as London’s most sustainable borough, Sutton also enhances its attractiveness to businesses and workers who prioritise environmental values. The London Cancer Hub at Harris Academy Sutton location demonstrates how sustainability can integrate with economic development, creating a world-leading life-science campus for research, treatment, education and enterprise that attracts talent and investment while operating to the highest environmental standards.
Health and Wellbeing Co-Benefits
The sustainability transition delivers substantial health and wellbeing benefits beyond the primary climate objective, with cleaner air, more active lifestyles, warmer homes and enhanced green spaces all contributing to improved public health outcomes and reduced pressure on the National Health Service.
The shift from fossil fuel vehicles to electric vehicles and active travel reduces air pollution, which causes respiratory and cardiovascular disease. The Environment Strategy vision of cleaner air directly addresses one of the most significant environmental health risks facing urban populations, with particular benefits for vulnerable groups including children, older people and those with existing respiratory conditions.
Increased cycling and walking delivers physical activity benefits that reduce obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and mental health conditions. With over 50 percent of car journeys in Sutton being less than three miles, the potential for shifting these trips to active travel represents a substantial public health intervention. The extensive network of signed cycle routes following quieter roads, traffic-free paths through parks and along the River Wandle creates safe, attractive environments for physical activity that are accessible to residents of all ages and abilities.
The retrofit programme directly addresses fuel poverty and cold homes, which cause excess winter deaths and exacerbate respiratory and cardiovascular conditions. Whole-house retrofit reduces draughts and cold areas, improves feelings of comfort and improves internal air quality, creating homes that support rather than undermine health. The Energiesprong approach guarantees real life performance for indoor comfort, ensuring that health benefits are realised in practice rather than just in theory.
Access to green spaces supports both physical and mental health, with the borough’s commitment to ensuring that more than half of Sutton’s space consists of green space providing opportunities for recreation, relaxation and connection with nature. The importance of this became particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic when access to local green spaces supported mental health during periods of restricted movement. The network of Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation, many of which are located in publicly accessible parks, ensures that high-quality natural environments are available to all residents.
The Passivhaus school buildings provide excellent air quality and natural ventilation, creating healthy learning environments that support concentration, comfort and wellbeing. Stable temperatures throughout the year prevent the overheating that can occur in poorly designed buildings and the cold spots that can make winter learning uncomfortable. By demonstrating that sustainable buildings are healthier buildings, these flagship projects help shift perceptions and raise expectations for building performance across all sectors.
The integration of health and sustainability objectives creates a powerful case for ambitious climate action, demonstrating that carbon neutrality is not just an environmental necessity but an opportunity to create healthier, happier communities with better quality of life.
Equity and Just Transition
Sutton’s approach to carbon neutrality incorporates principles of equity and just transition, ensuring that the benefits of sustainability are shared across all communities and that vulnerable residents are protected from potential negative impacts of the transition.
The affordable housing strategy ensures that sustainable homes are accessible to those on lower incomes, with shared ownership options allowing first-time buyers to acquire a stake in property with household incomes below 80,000 pounds. New developments such as Sutton Point, New Mill Quarter and the Well House provide sustainable, affordable homes with high-specification finishes and excellent locations, demonstrating that environmental and social objectives can be achieved simultaneously.
The retrofit programme specifically targets social housing, ensuring that tenants benefit from warmer homes, lower energy bills and improved comfort. With domestic properties representing 47.7 percent of borough emissions, targeting social housing not only achieves significant carbon reductions but also addresses fuel poverty and improves quality of life for lower-income households. The Energiesprong approach ensures that retrofit costs are paid for through energy bill savings and maintenance cost reductions, so the cost of living does not increase despite significant capital investment.
The focus on cycling infrastructure and public transport rather than private electric vehicles ensures that sustainable transport options are available to all residents regardless of income. While electric vehicle charging infrastructure is being expanded to support those who can afford electric cars, the greater emphasis on active travel and public transport ensures that transport decarbonisation does not exacerbate inequality. Cycling is described as offering a quick, convenient, healthy and affordable way to travel, with the affordability aspect particularly important for lower-income households.
The waste reduction and circular economy strategy includes promotion of reuse and repair, which supports lower-income households to access goods at lower cost while reducing waste. The Kimpton Household Recycling and Reuse Centre’s focus on reuse of items such as bikes demonstrates how waste infrastructure can support affordable access to goods.
The community engagement approach ensures that residents across all communities have voice in shaping the sustainability transition. The public consultation on the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy invited participation from everyone in the local community including primary stakeholders, local community groups and individuals, ensuring that the strategy considered a broad range of interests. Similarly, inhabitants participated in the formulation of the Environment Strategy and Climate Emergency Response Plan, ensuring that diverse perspectives shaped the borough’s approach.
By embedding equity considerations throughout the sustainability strategy, Sutton ensures that the transition to carbon neutrality strengthens rather than undermines social cohesion and that all residents can participate in and benefit from the creation of London’s most sustainable borough.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sutton’s target date for achieving carbon neutrality?
Sutton aims to enable the whole borough to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2025, with all council buildings targeted to become zero carbon earlier in the timeline. This represents one of the most ambitious local government climate targets in the United Kingdom, requiring coordinated action across all sectors of the borough economy and community.
How does the Passivhaus standard differ from conventional building standards?
Passivhaus is an ultra-low energy building standard that features highly insulated and airtight envelopes to minimise fabric heat losses, control heat gains and provide excellent air quality with natural ventilation. Buildings built to this standard use approximately 90 percent less energy for heating and cooling compared to conventional buildings while providing superior comfort and indoor environmental quality.
What is whole-house retrofit and how does it differ from traditional energy efficiency measures?
Whole-house retrofit involves assessing the entire building to identify all measures needed to make it as energy-efficient as possible and completing these works in one coordinated project. This differs from traditional approaches that might upgrade windows or add loft insulation in isolation, which provide benefits but do not achieve the significant emissions reductions necessary for carbon neutrality. The whole-house approach addresses the building as an integrated system, optimising performance across all components.
How can Sutton residents participate in the Solar Together scheme?
Residents can register online for free and without obligation to participate in the Solar Together London group buying scheme. Pre-vetted UK solar photovoltaic suppliers participate in an auction, offering competitive pricing due to volume and geographic concentration. Registered households receive personal recommendations after the auction and can choose to accept and proceed with installation, with telephone and email support available throughout the process.
What types of flooding does Sutton’s Local Flood Risk Management Strategy address?
The strategy addresses flooding from fluvial sources, ordinary watercourses, groundwater, surface water and sewers. Climate change is predicted to make flooding more frequent and intense, meaning that even areas not currently at flood risk may be affected in the future. The strategy proposes measures to ensure Sutton can be more resilient and sustainable in its flood risk management practices.
How does the Sutton Decentralised Energy Network reduce carbon emissions?
The network captures waste heat from the Beddington Energy Recovery Facility and existing landfill gas engines, which would otherwise be wasted, and converts it into hot water that is transported through highly insulated pipes. This drastically reduces the energy typically lost during heat transport and reduces reliance on fossil fuels for heating, improving energy efficiency while supporting the circular economy by maximising use of resources.
What support is available for residents who want to make their homes more energy efficient?
The council provides information on retrofit measures including insulation, window replacement and renewable energy installation. The Solar Together London scheme supports solar photovoltaic installation through group buying that delivers cost savings. Sutton Housing Partnership is delivering whole-house retrofit to social housing properties, while various government grant schemes may be available to support private homeowners with energy efficiency improvements.
How does cycling infrastructure contribute to carbon neutrality?
Transport represents 28.9 percent of borough emissions, with over 50 percent of car journeys being less than three miles, a distance easily covered by bicycle. By creating an extensive network of signed cycle routes following quieter roads, traffic-free paths through parks and along the River Wandle, combined with cycle parking and safety measures, Sutton makes cycling a practical mode of choice for short journeys, directly reducing transport emissions.
What is a circular economy and how is Sutton developing as a testbed for this approach?
A circular economy is an economic system where materials are kept in use for as long as possible at their highest value through reuse, remanufacture and repair, rather than being disposed of after single use. Sutton is developing as a testbed by implementing waste reduction programmes, promoting reuse at the Kimpton Household Recycling and Reuse Centre, reducing avoidable food waste, and supporting businesses and initiatives that embody circular economy principles.
How does Sutton ensure that the sustainability transition is equitable and inclusive?
The borough ensures equity through multiple approaches including prioritising social housing for retrofit programmes so lower-income tenants benefit from warmer homes and lower energy bills, developing affordable housing with sustainable design, emphasising cycling and public transport rather than private electric vehicles, promoting reuse and repair to support affordable access to goods, and engaging all communities in consultation and decision-making processes.
What role do schools play in Sutton’s sustainability strategy?
Schools play multiple roles including demonstrating ultra-low energy building standards through Passivhaus construction, providing healthy learning environments with excellent air quality and comfort, serving as living laboratories where students experience sustainability principles, integrating sustainability into curriculum and career pathways especially through science education, and engaging families and communities in sustainability through student learning and participation.
How is progress toward carbon neutrality monitored and reported?
The Environment Strategy and Climate Emergency Response Plan is reviewed annually to track progress against specific targets and actions. The council publishes emissions data with the latest figures showing 564.4 kilotons of carbon dioxide in 2019. Annual reviews adapt plans based on experience, changing circumstances and new opportunities while maintaining transparency about achievements and challenges to sustain community engagement and accountability.
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