Commercial property fund to focus on green building measures

Posted by Andrew Marshall.

A number of commercial properties are set to be made more sustainable through the launch of a new low carbon initiative backed by organisations including the Carbon Trust and Threadneedle.

While some businesses may already be looking to make use of PV solar panels and other green building products to enhance their green credentials, it is hoped that the Threadneedle Low-Carbon Workplace Trust will see more than 50 sites benefit from eco-friendly enhancements in the coming years.

Stanhope is also taking part in the project, which will try to gain institutional investments totalling £350 million in the next three-year period.

The Carbon Trust''s chief executive officer Tom Delay suggests that the scheme may help to put forward a low carbon ''business case''.

He commented: ''This initiative aims to prove that green business opportunities can deliver the secure long term returns institutional investors demand, which could be the key to unlocking the low carbon economy.''

Meanwhile, a new leisure centre development in the Matlock area is also expected to benefit from green technologies like solar panels in the near future.