Capital outlay on sustainable development, acquisition of high-performance buildings, or retrofit efficiency improvement for existing assets has always required a careful assessment of return on investment. Returns often need to be totted up both in direct financial terms and in carbon savings delivered against capital employed – given that even the most environmentally conscious building owners and investors must typically weigh up competing options.

This panel debate will assess how investment decision-making priorities have changed over recent years, as both technology and business thinking have matured, and where things might head in the foreseeable future. It will assess the role of green-linked funding, tax breaks and grant schemes for the property sector, and the potential penalties and pitfalls presented by regulation and loss of asset value looming in the future.