Government’s green construction plans under fire

The Government’s green construction plans have come under severe criticism from UK-based academic Dr. Jo Williams.

Dr. Williams, writing in the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, said that the British Government’s construction plans are at risk of being an “environmental disaster”.

For Dr. Williams, Government ministers are not doing nearly enough to promote environmental building. She also believes that the Government’s environmental standards for new housing are not stringent enough.

Furthermore, Dr. Williams contends that not enough money is being spent investing in technologies, support services, and infrastructure, all of which are crucial in green construction projects.

Williams wrote that “contrary to popular belief, cost is not the key barrier to developing higher environmental standards in housing

“Insufficient regulatory standards and poor technological, infrastructural and knowledge capacity are the key barriers to overcome.

“The Government needs to address this urgently and provide the investment to ensure that environmentally sustainable housing does not come at the price of exacerbating the housing shortage.”

Dr. Williams stressed that it is imperative that the current highest six star standard for sustainable homes is made compulsory for all new developments.

This attack on Government policy comes just a week after Government departments were blasted by MPs for their chronic failure to meet standards for sustainable development in new building projects.