Green toolkit expands across industry

  The UK’s first industry guidance on green leases is to be expanded across hundreds of properties next month by an alliance of major institutional landlords.   The Better Buildings Partnership – which includes British Land, Land Securities and Hermes Real Estate – this week launched the Green Lease Toolkit to give best practice advice to landlords and tenants drawing up new leases.   It sets out a framework for deciding who should pay for green improvements and how energy-use data should be collected and shared. It also helps owners and occupiers to agree carbon, energy, waste and water reduction strategies via an agreement that can be used alongside existing leases.   Occupiers including Philips Electronics, Marks & Spencer, ASDA, Costa, WH Smith and B&Q have already pledged to use the leases.   The scheme’s launch follows a pilot at Legal & General’s 105,000 sq ft 99 Gresham Street, EC2, where CO2 emissions were cut by 134 tonnes in one year, saving £15,000 in energy costs.   patrick.clift@rbi.co.uk