Central Hall Westminster is now officially one of the UK’s most environmentally friendly conference and events destinations after achieving Gold Status from the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS). This is in addition to achieving the international environmental standard ISO14001 earlier this year.

London has some of the most ambitious environmental and climate change targets in the world. As part of this the London Development Agency, responsible for tourism development in the capital, has recently launched the awards scheme, Green Tourism for London.

There are currently 62 members of this scheme in London, with just 5 having achieved the Gold Award. Central Hall Westminster is the first conference and event venue to win gold - other organisations are the Cavendish Hotel, Base2Stay Kensington, Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew and the Sheraton Skyline Hotel.

Michael Sharp, Managing Director, said: "Our in-house 'green team’ has been the driving force behind achieving our ‘green standards' and we are working together with our Service Partners to continuously improve these. As a result, we aim to attract more events to the venue and to Westminster, as well as showcasing the very best that London has to offer within the conference, meetings and events industry."

This new scheme, which is based on the Green Tourism Business Scheme, is targeted at hotels, guest houses, attractions and event venues. GTBS is the national sustainable tourism certification scheme where businesses are assessed against a strict set of criteria, including rigorous assessment of energy and water efficiency, waste management and biodiversity. Those that meet the required standard receive a bronze, silver or gold award based on their level of achievement.

Central Hall Westminster, which opened in 1912, is a unique historic Edwardian building situated in the heart of Westminster London, just adjacent to Westminster Abbey. The building was designed by Lanchester & Rickards in Viennese Baroque style, and the ceiling of the Great Hall is reportedly the second largest of its type in the world and is a pioneering achievement in architectural engineering.

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