PACER: Planning Application Carbon Evaluation and Reduction Platform

When awarding the PACER initiative funding the UKRI declared that ’the majority of the UK’s national emissions budget will be used in the Built Environment’. Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) are increasingly the only gatekeepers to lower whole life carbon in the built environment with the ability to set targets and decide which projects are permitted. PACER is a software tool designed to be operated by LPAs to assess the carbon documentation submitted with applications and to guide officers in the analysis of those proposals. Aiming to make the decision-making transparent and democratically sound, PACER has been tested since its launch early 2025 during the assessment of a range of proposed projects. The panel will discuss how it works, the characteristics of the submission requirements and early outcomes found by its development partner Westminster City Council. In aiming to implement Retrofit First policies, how have the planning authority explored these digital tools and could this be a mechanism adopted by authorities around the UK? The panel will feature Hrabrina Nikolova, Principal Sustainability Officer at Westminster City Council, alongside representatives from Preoptima and developers who have taken part in the pilot applications, who will discuss PACER’s potential as a nationwide mechanism for carbon assessment. Chairperson Tom Sweet, Associate - Eric Parry Architects Speakers Hrabrina Nikolova, Principal Sustainability Officer - Westminster City Council Geoff Barraclough, Councillor, Cabinet Member for Planning & Economic Development - City of Westminster Raheela Khan-FitzGerald, Head of Business Development and Partnerships - Preoptima Frank Blande, Senior Sustainability Lead - Great Portland Estates