carbon limited

At the end of last week, I was happy to hear that Jonathon Porritt had joined the board at Wilmott Dixon. It’s particularly poignant timing, given the beating the industry has taken in recent months: Wilmott Dixon is underlining their commitment to achieving the carbon reductions that will be required in the built environment in the runup to 2016 and beyond.

Ok, you could argue that he’s only going to be a non-executive director, so his influence will be limited to board level. That might not sound like such a bad thing, but working with a couple of developers of similar size,  I’ve been surprised to find genuine support for low carbon measures among the board only to run into a brick wall at operational level. One is no good without the other. But in WD’s case, let’s assume that vision is going to translate into action.

The point is, Wilmott Dixon have made this move at a time of low morale and deep skepticism in the construction industry. Many developers find themselves saddled with projects whose land values were agreed at the height of the property boom. In some cases, even where there’s a solid case for development, the banks refuse to offer credit. The zero carbon housing deadline in 2016 is looming and we haven’t even decided yet what “zero carbon” means or how it should be achieved. Who can blame developers who’ve sunk into a funk and dismiss those who talk about zero carbon as having their heads in the clouds?

But the 2016 target will stay – there is no way ministers can turn back now. The definition will be hammered out in the coming months and, with a little luck and help from consultees, will be heavy on common sense and light on quirks and loopholes (it’s early, must stay positive). In addition, the UK is now legally bound to 80% reductions by 2050. With ambitious promises like these comes real danger. Failure to make inroads or to hit interim targets provides justification for those who, for whatever reason, didn’t believe it was worthwhile to try in the first place.

But there are quite a few players in the market who are determined to show how the targets can be achieved, not just on one-off houses, but at a national level – companies who are already laying the groundwork for 2016 and putting together strategies to address existing stock. And if we succeed, if there are even a handful of schemes that have demonstrated that the targets are achievable, the targets will be impossible to abandon. Those who have dragged their feet will be forced join the back of the pack or drop out of the race entirely, while those who have led are likely to find a wide open field.

That’s why Porritt’s appointment makes me more hopeful: it’s a further sign that, even in an industry facing hard times, many of us are increasingly determined to demonstrate what can be done. The next few years are critical; failure to hit early targets may make it impossible to catch up in the future. We only have seven years to 2016. The deadlines are ambitious and incredibly tight, but despite the downturn, positive momentum is growing.

And if we fail? If we fail then hearing a few cynical I-told-you-so’s will be the least of our worries.