Government reports on Sustainable Construction Strategy

The construction industry is a significant contributor to the UK economy – its output is worth over £100bn a year, it accounts for 8% of our GDP and it provides employment for around 3 million workers. However, almost half of our total carbon emissions come from general day to day use of the built environment, primarily through water and space heating. Existing building stock (around 20 million dwellings plus non-domestic property) accounts for most of the carbon emissions in the built environment. As part of a government and industry commitment to dramatically reducing the environmental impact of buildings and infrastructure construction, a Strategy for Sustainable Construction was proposed. This Strategy was launched in June 2008, and has been held up as an excellent example of joint work between industry and Government. A Progress Report on the Strategy was launched on the 15th September 2009, noting the achievements of the last year, and giving an overview of where the targets of the strategy are being delivered:

1. On the basis of current central projections, climate change mitigation targets are likely to be hit. This would constitute an initial 34% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 on 1990 levels, as set out in the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan.
2. The Government is also on track to meet its 25% administrative burden reduction target (or approximately £3.4bn net annual savings) by 2010. In December 2008 Government reported a delivery of £1.9bn of net annual savings.
3. The target to reduce the incidence rate of fatal and major injury accidents by 10% year on year from 2000 levels (105 fatalities for 2000/01) has not been reached, however, the government consider this to be one of the more challenging targets. There has been a marked reduction in fatalities with 53 construction fatalities during the period 2008/09, down from 72 in 2007/08.
4. Work is ongoing to meet the Strategic Forum for Construction’s target of a 50% reduction in Construction Demolition and Excavation (CD&E) waste going to landfill by 2012. WRAP has had approximately 150 signatories, representing more than 25% of the construction industry by value, to their ‘Halving Waste to Landfill’ commitment.

However, the report notes that progress has been slower than envisaged in some areas addressed in the Strategy, namely:

1. Compliance with BREAM targets on Government Estate
2. Increase in trained workforce and apprentices
3. Decrease in water consumption of the government estate
4. Biodiversity toolkit for planners

The delivery of the Strategy will be overseen by the newly announced Chief Construction Adviser who will be chairing an enhanced Delivery Board for the Strategy.  The Government believes that this will ensure a higher level of cooperation and accountability between Government and industry in the delivery of its sustainable construction agenda.