Every small town and borough should have one, says Andrew Scoones, director of Ngenuity
My proposal is to set up a network of local information centres that are independent of commercial interest and are principally for the use of homeowners, designers and builders.
The walk-in centres would deal with homeowners鈥� individual circumstances to strategise appropriate measures that can be taken immediately and over time to reduce their carbon footprint. Every small town and borough should have one.
The centres could demonstrate different technologies and techniques and advise on suppliers and local networks. They would also advise on financial strategies for using grants and other types of funding.
Ideally they would be staffed by architects and other professional designers who can advise on broader aspects of design (and perhaps charge a fee for non-standard services). Empty high-street shops could be used to provide exhibits and space for consultation so that this becomes part of a realignment of what the high street is for.
Advice would be free of charge to the homeowner, with the centres subsidised by local and national government
Carbon-saving advice would be free of charge to the homeowner, with the centres subsidised by local and national government. They could be established by local crowd-funding initiatives to confirm demand.
The centres would record and share information about similar local building types. As part of a national network they would provide rapid feedback loops into a national database.
Andrew Scoones is director of Ngenuity
Ideas for positive change
This is part of our Countdown to Cop26 coverage in the lead up to the world climate conference in Glasgow in November. We will be publishing more big ideas about ways to tackle the climate emergency over the coming weeks and you can find more here.
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