William Hill warns of abandoned buildings that fail to live up to sustainabilty standards

Government risks raising the bar too high for the sustainability of existing buildings, according to the head of property at investment bank Schroders.

Speaking to 好色先生TV at Think 07, William Hill warned of an 鈥渦rban desert of abandoned buildings鈥� if regulations for the sustainability of existing stock are over-ambitious. 鈥淎 subsection of the market could risk falling into a black hole,鈥� he said.

In his speech at the 鈥淏eyond Environmental Tokenism鈥� seminar, Hill told conference delegates: 鈥淩egulators must avoid setting the bar too high for sustainable buildings, or face a potential obsolescence of stock.鈥�

He also warned of the dangers of rising costs for green technology: 鈥淓veryone wants to improve energy efficiency, but it has to be thought through,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e pushing up costs with sustainability whilst at the same time attempting to deliver affordable housing, then something鈥檚 got to give.鈥�