A new report from the Green Alliance 'Greening the skyline – the challenges and opportunities of tower block retrofit' acknowledges the difficult funding climate and the growing fuel poverty crisis being suffered by tower block residents. Political and economic devolution for cities in the UK is increasing along with a vigorous environmental agenda as cities take the lead in driving low carbon progress.

But this focus on sustainable futures brings with it the risk that cities forget their existing homes and infrastructure. Many tower blocks suffer from decay, maintenance challenges, fractured communities and poor quality communal and green spaces. They are often incredibly energy inefficient structures that result in residents paying disproportionately high energy bills. Given that tower block residents often live on lower incomes and that energy prices keep rising, this is an issue that local authorities and housing associations are finding harder to ignore.

In the report author Faye Scott identifies the conditions for planning successful tower block retrofits, based on interviews and workshops with a range of experienced stakeholders and concludes that despite the current funding context, local authorities and housing associations can achieve significant improvements.

The report:-
*Identifies five principles for successful tower block retrofit:
*Includes case studies and ideas for local authorities and housing associations responsible for tower blocks: *Suggests ways of developing robust business plans for tower block retrofit that can secure the necessary financial, political and management support, for example by identifying and valuing the diverse range of benefits that such schemes can deliver:
*Examines the potential of smart meters and district heating in tower blocks and encourages those managing them to be proactive in securing their benefits for residents.

The report is aimed at local authorities and housing associations undertaking or considering tower block retrofit.