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 this report we identify 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.