Creating a Shared Blueprint for Richmond and Wandsworth Boroughs’ Retrofit Delivery
We helped Richmond & Wandsworth Councils align on a cross-functional, collaborative approach to accelerate Retrofit innovation and delivery.
Context
Richmond and Wandsworth Councils collaborate across many areas to maximise efficiency and knowledge-sharing. Yet when it comes to housing, planning, and place, the two boroughs face distinct structural and demographic challenges.
Wandsworth retains direct landlord responsibilities for its residential estates, unlike Richmond. Their housing stock also varies — but both boroughs share a pressing issue: more than 50% of homes are rated D–G on the EPC scale, representing a major opportunity for green improvement.
With ambitious targets to reach net-zero emissions by 2030, the need to retrofit homes and buildings is both urgent and strategic — intersecting with public health, energy costs, housing quality, and local economic development. This work sits within a broader regional momentum across South London to turn Retrofit into a shared growth and climate opportunity.
Approach
Strengthening South London’s Retrofit Ecosystem
In this context, the Councils asked us to support alignment across departments and stakeholders — ensuring the right conversations happened early to shape priorities and create sponsorship for Retrofit action.
We designed and facilitated a strategic workshop at Patch Twickenham, bringing together 25 senior, cross-functional attendees. Representatives from Westminster’s Retrofit Taskforce shared insights, helping to ground the conversation in practical examples and policy relevance.
Together, the group developed a shared definition of Retrofit and its scope at local, sub-regional, and national levels. Key themes explored included:
Skills and supply chain readiness
Stimulating and understanding market demand
Innovative funding and financing mechanisms
Finally, the group aligned on the preferred structure to coordinate efforts across previously siloed initiatives.
Turning Alignment into a Retrofit Acceleration Plan
We synthesised the insights into a strategic action blueprint, built on our expertise in innovation delivery and the Retrofit space. The blueprint outlined:
Operating structures and ownership
Priority needs and example use cases
Points of alignment with sub-regional initiatives (e.g. the South London Retrofit Skills Centre)
Above all, the programme established Retrofit as “everyone’s business” — not just the domain of Housing or Climate teams, but a cross-cutting priority spanning the full council system.
Impact
The connections formed during the session have created a strong foundation for future cross-borough collaboration. With shared commitment and a unified strategic direction, Richmond and Wandsworth are positioned to run more efficient pilots, align more closely with other councils across South London, and communicate the importance of Retrofit clearly to residents and local partners.
This was innovation alignment in action — a catalyst for faster, more coordinated delivery on one of the UK’s most urgent public sector challenges.