Government green building policy ‘fragmented and inconsistant’

A coalition of businesses and environmental groups have released a report that lambastes government green building policy as inconsistent, fragmented, and poorly enforced.

The Aldersgate Group – members include Friends of the Earth and the UK Green Building Council – published the ‘Better Regulation for a Sustainable Built Environment’ report to coincide with the launch of a government consultation on its renewable energy strategy.

According to the report, well publicised and ambitious government targets mask a bleak on-the-ground reality where legislation is poorly enforced and government departments fail to live up to their own targets for the rest of the country.

As well as urging the government to do more to ensure that current targets are met, the report says that the government’s focus must switch from building new ‘green’ houses to making existing buildings more environmentally friendly.

Just 1% of the UK’s buildings are replaced every year, so improving the environmental credentials of existing buildings will play a crucial role in responding to climate change.

Aldersgate Group’s chairman Peter Young said: “The UK must rapidly and consistently reduce the impact of existing and new buildings if it is to have any chance of meeting its climate change commitments.

“Better measurement and enforcement of standards must be a fundamental and driving ingredient in the way in which we respond to this challenge.

“The low hanging fruit is the existing building stock. This represents a sizeable chunk of the UK?s carbon emissions but is routinely overlooked.

“A more rational, visible and joined up approach is required.”

He added that the current slowdown of the housing market may help to refocus government targets towards refurbishing existing buildings.