The Government's imminent policy document on sustainability will focus on the environment, society and business.
Publication of the Government's much-touted sustainability strategy is expected to be delayed until National Construction Week in April.

According to a DETR source, the draft which has been circulating for comment is also being "substantially rewritten" to include a key performance indicator for sustainable construction.

What is certain is that the priority themes of the strategy will concentrate on the "ten commandments" devised by architect Rab Bennetts, chairman of the M4I sustainability working group. These are:

  • reuse existing buildings;

  • design for minimum waste;

  • aim for lean construction;

  • minimise energy in construction;

  • minimise energy in use;

  • don't pollute;

  • preserve and enhance bio-diversity;

  • conserve water resources;

  • respect people;

  • set targets.

    The Government will also be issuing its own definition of sustainability, to include the environment, society and business. The policy is expected to stress that there will be "no finishing line – only continuous improvement".

    "Encouraging businesses to join in will be the hardest to do," admitted DETR's sustainable construction business manager, Bruce Sharpe. "We have a real challenge to get the messages from the strategy to the 180 000 construction firms, the majority of which are very small.

    "While sustainable construction makes money, ministers recognise that won't be enough," he added.

    Roger Venables, head of the Environment Panel at the Institution of Civil Engineers, pointed out that the Government is putting higher priority on reducing pollution from transport at the expense of buildings.

    "While transport is responsible for 25% of the UK's carbon emissions, buildings contribute nearly 50%," he said. "We need more joined-up thinking between the different industry sectors," added Venables.

    The DETR is currently searching for an Egan-like "champion" to take its strategy forward.

  • The Government has published 15 headline "indicators of sustainable development". The indicators are intended to make up a "quality of life barometer" to measure overall progress.

    The indictors include economic, social and environmental indicators. On the latter, the government reports that while UK emissions of greenhouse gases have declined to 9% below 1990 levels, emissions are expected to rise again after 2005.

    "Much more significant reductions will be needed...to tackle the threat of climate change," says the DETR. "In the longer term, global emissions of CO2 will need to fall in relation to economic output by a factor of ten or more." "In future, a larger proportion of savings will need to come from households, transport and the services sector, says the DETR.

    • Source

    Building Sustainable Design