Tony’s top trio praise plans for sustainability

Blair Government bigwigs have welcomed plans for a new code to create environmentally friendly, sustainable buildings. Responding to the Sustainable Buildings Task Group report, John Prescott, Margaret Beckett and Patricia Hewitt threw their collective front-bench weight behind the group’s call for government and industry to improve the quality and sustainability of new and refurbished buildings. The Sustainable Buildings Task Group was formed last October and was challenged with identifying how government and industry could improve the quality and sustainability of new and refurbished buildings.

The shining centrepiece of the group’s report is a new Code for Sustainable Building (CSB), which sets out best practice standards on energy efficiency, flood resilience, water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste production. Government departments including Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Department of Trade and Industry and Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs have agreed to start work immediately on the main principles and possibilities for the CSB.

But is this just lip-service to sustainability? Deputy PM John Prescott thinks not: “You only have to look across the London landscape to see new standards being set combining architectural excellence with environmental efficiency, such as Lord Foster’s ‘Gherkin’ in London, Greenwich Millennium Village, or Lacuna housing development in Kent.

“We must act now to improve the performance of buildings, and we will work closely with industry to develop the code to ensure it sets best practice standards and allows the flexibility needed for generating high quality design.”

Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett chimed in: “Our building stock has major environmental impacts, and by ensuring the highest environmental standards are applied more widely we can turn the principles of sustainable development into practice in buildings.”

Secretary of State for Department of Trade and Industry Patricia Hewitt got in on the love-in too: “Sustainable construction will be a key element of how we deal with these issues and literally how we choose to build our own future.”

So, some government support, then. But time will tell if Prescott and co back up their green gushings with real action.