Housebuilders urge PM to make covid recovery green

Developers and housebuilders have joined more than 200 business leaders in writing to the prime minister urging him to prioritise environmental sustainability as he plans the nation’s recovery from the covid-19 crisis.

Aviva Investors, Barratt Developments, First Base and Joseph Homes are among those to have signed the letter which was sent to Boris Johnson and published in the Financial Times today.

They call for clear vision and a “clean, inclusive and resilient recovery” as the government develops its economic plans.

They write: “With the UK facing major economic and social concerns including the risk of high unemployment and rising regional inequality, we believe that an ambitious low-carbon growth and environmental improvement agenda can do a lot to address these concerns, as well as make the UK economy better prepared to deal with future shocks such as those related to climate change.”

They add: “The current crisis, in moving us all away from business-as-usual, has already created shifts in how we operate, and we believe we must use the recovery to accelerate the transition to net zero.”

The letter was co-ordinated by The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group in collaboration with the UK Green Building Council whose chief executive Julie Hirigoyen said the built environment could play a pivotal role in helping the country tackle the ecological crisis and reduce social inequality.

“We can unlock huge opportunities for resilient recovery through measures such as introducing ambitious new-build standards, prioritising home energy efficiency and investing in urban greening,” she said.

The signatories, more than a third of whom are UKGBC members, urge the prime minister to provide a clear vision for government recovery efforts, ensuring they:

• Drive investment in low-carbon innovation, infrastructure and industries, as well as improved resilience to future environmental risks. This should include targeted public investment and clear policy signals to support growing private-sector investment, such as tax incentives and carbon pricing.
• Focus support on sectors and activities that can best support sustainable growth, increased job creation and accelerate both the recovery and the decarbonisation of the economy. For example, construction, renovation and energy efficiency, low-carbon power and mobility infrastructure, natural environmental improvements and innovation to decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors.
• Ensure firms benefiting from financial support are well-managed and their strategies science-based and aligned with national climate goals.

The signatories also include architects Sheppard Robson and Make as well as other property and construction firms such as Lendlease, Multiplex, Bam, Willmott Dixon, Argent, Grosvenor, Arup, Buro Happold and Max Fordham.