Energy saving, reduction in greenhouse gases, sustainability, green building, save those trees … all very laudable but it needs joining up.

Consider:

  • Planning authorities using conditions to satisfy technical criteria very often at odds with actual regulations
  • The new Part L – it will be on us soon and nobody knows what it entails
  • Health buildings – we have to comply with a rake of HTMs and HBNs (best-practice guidance) that again conflict with Building Regulations in many areas
  • The other authorities who may have to give approval to this, that or the other - each one having its own particular “shopping list”.

Add these together in a typical development and you start wondering how you’ll ever get on site. Perhaps that’s the government’s strategy – make it so obstructive, confusing, complex and conflicting that nothing gets built (an easy way of achieving the Kyoto goals?!) What price 2012 when the new stadiums and so on aren’t ready because of all this red tape? Greece nearly didn’t achieve it – will we?

It is noticeable that, at the same time that Building is launching a crusade against Building Regulations, Kevin McCloud (from Channel 4’s Grand Designs) is firing off at the planning system. Shouldn’t the two be joining forces?

Postscript

Adrian Smith, project director, Wilky Property Holdings

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