Select committee: Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 43
First report - Building to net zero: costing carbon in construction
Published 26 May 2022
Paragraph 218
Environmental Audit Committee Sustainability of the built environment All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
We recommend that circular economy statements including pre-demolition audits should be a requirement of planning applications which entail demolition of properties, as is already the case for certain applications which London boroughs are required to refer to the Mayor of London for consideration. The circular economy statement must explain why retrofit to match existing or new uses is not possible if demolition is proposed and be accompanied by a whole life carbon assessments of both new build and retrofit. This requirement should be introduced as soon as is practicable and not later than any package of reforms to the planning system which the Secretary of State for Levelling up, Housing and Communities is expected to introduce before the end of the current Parliament.
From: Environmental Audit Committee, First report - Building to net zero: costing carbon in construction (HC 103), paragraph 218, 26 May 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 30 September 2022 (deadline 26 July 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government agrees that whole-life carbon assessments are "likely to have a significant role" in decarbonising construction, but it does not commit to mandating them and says it will consult on its approach to embodied carbon in 2023.
- On a mandatory requirement, it "intends to consult in 2023" and will "consider" what levers, including building regulations, will be needed. It says it is "too soon to commit" to ratcheted carbon targets.
- It agrees a standardised calculation method is required and "will look at whether" endorsing specific standards, methodologies or tools "is appropriate".
- It declines to bring forward the Future Homes Standard to 2023, stating it "will not look to alter the timeframe" and that the 2025 timeline delivers on net zero commitments while ensuring homes are delivered in sufficient numbers.
- On public procurement, it says the Procurement Bill would not be an appropriate place for net zero policy priorities, and that there are "no plans to collect and publish" data on whole-life carbon assessments under the Construction Playbook.