Paul King says institution’s opposition to packs could be perceived as “conservative and protectionist”
The chief executive of the UK Green Building Council, Paul King, warned the RICS this morning that its opposition to Home Information Packs (Hips) had created a perception that it was “conservative and protectionist”.
King said a perception that the Institution was not behind the sustainability agenda was among green lobby groups as well as some surveyors themselves. “I am sure you want to right that perception,” he said.
RICS president Graham Chase admitted King was “right about perception issues” but added that it was “blatantly untrue” that the RICS was not being environmentally friendly by its stance on Hips. “It was easy for the Government to accuse us of that,” he said. “(The accusation) has stuck and we have to deal with that.”
King was speaking at the launch of a new report issued by the RICS called Surveying Sustainability. He said that such a report showed the beginning of the RICS taking the issue seriously. “Your members are in a very powerful position (in this sustainability). They have the ability to raise awareness among the public about these issues.”
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