PACER: Initiative Winner - Exemplar Sustainable Building Awards

Initiative finalist in the 2025 Exemplar Sustainable Buildings Awards. PACER (Planning Application Carbon Evaluation and Reduction) is a first-of-its-kind digital platform that empowers Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) with the tools to enforce whole life carbon (WLC) policies in the planning process.

Developed by Preoptima in partnership with Westminster City Council and funded by Innovate UK, PACER automates the review of Whole Life Carbon Assessments (WLCAs) submitted in planning applications, providing case officers with clear, data-driven insights into compliance, and prompting actionable recommendations that challenge the carbon impact of developments.

With the built environment accounting for 40% of the UK’s carbon emissions, PACER equips LPAs – who ultimately decide what gets built, where, and how – with the tools to reduce both embodied and operational emissions. PACER fosters consistent policy enforcement, supports resource efficiency and circular economy principles, and ensures that the WLC impact of planning proposals is addressed before construction begins.