Don't Waste Buildings Expands to Cumbria
Campaign group appoints Sarah Lewis-Briggs as Cumbria Chapter Lead to champion building reuse and retrofit-first approach across the region
Cumbria, UK – Don't Waste Buildings (DWB), the campaign group advocating for the reuse and retrofit of existing buildings over demolition and rebuild, is proud to announce the launch of its new Cumbria chapter. Leading the charge locally will be Sarah Lewis-Briggs, a chartered surveyor with nearly four decades of experience, supported by chapter volunteer Karen Houghton.
The new chapter will work to raise awareness of the environmental and economic case for retaining and repurposing existing buildings across the Cumbria region, engaging with built environment professionals, local authorities, developers, and policymakers to place retrofit at the heart of regeneration strategy.
Sarah Lewis-Briggs, new Cumbrian Chapter lead
Sarah Lewis-Briggs – A Champion for Cumbrian Buildings
Sarah Lewis-Briggs brings approximately 40 years of chartered surveying experience to the role, having worked across a wide range of organisations throughout her career. A long-standing advocate for energy efficiency and regeneration, Sarah has always believed passionately in the potential of existing buildings and the value of breathing new life into them rather than consigning them to demolition.
"Cumbria is a region with an incredibly rich built heritage and a wealth of underutilised buildings that have enormous potential," said Sarah. "Too often, demolition is treated as the default option when the buildings around us are telling a completely different story — one of character, history, and opportunity. I'm delighted to be leading the DWB Cumbria chapter and to be working alongside like-minded people who want to make retrofit the first choice, not the last resort. There is so much we can achieve here, and I'm excited to get started."
Sarah lives in Cumbria with her three children and, outside of her professional life, is an enthusiastic runner and lover of the outdoors, as well as a devotee of history and classical music — passions that speak to the deep sense of place and heritage that she brings to her work.
Karen Houghton - Cumbria Chapter Volunteer
Karen Houghton Joins as Chapter Volunteer
Sarah will be joined by Karen Houghton, Director of Heck Consulting, who helps people make better places and save buildings they love — through fundraising, project and programme management. Karen's skills span the full lifecycle of a project, from strategy and planning applications through to surveys, procurement, and on-site contracting.
Karen has a deep love for old buildings, and believes that the social and cultural history of a place is every bit as important as its architectural or physical fabric. She is particularly passionate about the role that buildings play in shaping community identity: where a building is neglected by its owners but cherished by local people, saving it can restore civic pride and shift the story a place tells about itself from negative to positive.
Karen will be leading DWB's work in Barrow-in-Furness, a town with a wealth of remarkable buildings that speak to its proud industrial heritage, and where significant funding is on the horizon to support the town's future growth — making it a key battleground for the retrofit-first agenda.
A Message from DWB Co-Founder Leanne Tritton
Leanne Tritton, co-founder of Don't Waste Buildings, expressed her delight at the new chapter's formation:
"We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Sarah and Karen to the Don't Waste Buildings family. Sarah's depth of experience and her genuine, long-held passion for repurposing buildings make her the ideal person to lead our Cumbria chapter; and Karen's remarkable track record of delivering regeneration programmes in the region brings an exceptional depth of local knowledge and credibility to the team.
"Cumbria is a region we are particularly keen to understand better — the challenges of building reuse here will be unique, shaped by the local economy, geography, history, and the character of its towns and cities. Places like Carlisle, Barrow-in-Furness, Workington, Whitehaven, Kendal, and Penrith all have significant economic potential, and existing buildings are central to unlocking it. We firmly believe that making 'retrofit first' a financially viable and genuinely attractive option — rather than allowing wasteful demolition and rebuild to remain the path of least resistance — is one of the most important conversations we can have with the built environment industry and with government right now. We look forward to working with partners across the region to make that case and to turn ambition into action."
Become a DWB member by joining our LinkedIn group, and if you’d like to volunteer for the new Cumbria Chapter, or another Chapter or Workstream, get in touch HERE.
About Don't Waste Buildings:
Don't Waste Buildings is a campaign group advocating for the prioritisation of building renovation, reuse, and retrofit over demolition and new construction. The group works with industry professionals, governments, and the public to make retrofit a financially viable, technically credible, and environmentally essential approach to the built environment.
Media Enquiries:
Leanne Tritton, Co-Founder
