Register for free to
view the full innovation profile.
The Planning Application Carbon Evaluation and Reduction (PACER) tool is a digital platform enabling local planning authorities to automate and enforce whole life carbon assessment
About
Preoptima is a climate tech startup that creates digital solutions for both industry and the public sector to tackle WLC in the built environment. Our two core products - CONCEPT for industry early design-stage optioneering, and PACER for LPAs’ planning application review - reflect our deep technical expertise, with over 25 years of combined academic research underpinning our approach.
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.
Key Benefits
Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) are in a unique position to influence the carbon impact of the built environment, yet most currently lack the resources, tools, and technical expertise to effectively enforce Whole Life Carbon (WLC) policies. While more LPAs are beginning to require Whole Life Carbon Assessments (WLCAs) as part of planning requirements, enforcement remains inconsistent and largely symbolic due to the complexity of interpreting these technical documents and the absence of standardised benchmarks or validation processes. PACER addresses this urgent gap. By automating compliance checks and benchmarking applicant data against carbon targets and control models, PACER transforms policy intent into practical action. It ensures that embodied and operational carbon are assessed fairly, early, and at scale - supporting the UK’s need to both retrofit existing stock and dramatically improve the carbon performance of new buildings.
Applications
Local Planning Authorities