CIC has urged Government to consider the exceptional
benefits a long-term sectoral strategy for construction and the built
environment would bring.
The appeal came as part of the CIC response to the Department for Business
and Trade (DBT) consultation on Invest 2035: the UK’s modern industrial
strategy. CIC also contributed to the Construction Leadership Council response.
The main asks from CIC were for construction to be seen as a critical
foundational sector and for a sectoral strategy to be drawn up with meaningful
input from built environment professionals.
Government’s missions and challenges are inextricably tied to the broader
construction and built environment sector. These aims include unlocking
regional growth, meeting net zero, building infrastructure such as new prisons,
data centres and hospitals, fostering healthier communities and increasing tax
take through a buoyant economy. In particular, industry is being tasked with
making 1.5 million new homes within 5 years.
A long term, data-driven commitment to the construction industry would bring
cross-government benefits which include saving the NHS money by improving poor
quality homes and reducing the £22bn a year expense to the taxpayer to maintain
Government’s property portfolio. Construction is also a huge contributor in
terms of UK greenhouse gas emissions and can play a crucial role in reducing
embodied carbon and leading the transition to a circular, low-waste economy.
CIC stressed the need to embrace a data-driven approach and agree milestones
for progress. A coherent strategy and measurable objectives would help develop
the skills and capacity to deliver major infrastructure and drive best practice
through improved reporting and analysis of post-occupancy performance data.
Government and industry would need to work together to move data reporting
further away from a box ticking exercise and more in line with the spirit of
the ‘Golden Thread’ requirements being brought in through the Building Safety
Act to foster a longer-term, more collaborative approach.
Graham Watts, CIC Chief Executive
commented: “Construction
accounts for an estimated 7% of GDP and employs over 2 million people across
all the UK. Over and above this it is an enabler sector for much of the UK
economy, not least the growth sectors highlighted in the Strategy document.
“Recent projects such as the Stirling
Prize-winning Elizabeth Line and the shortlisted Kings Cross Masterplan show
that our built environment sector retains its world-leading expertise in the
development of high-quality, high-value, sustainable infrastructure. The
challenge for industry and government is to work together to spread these
benefits across the UK.”
A full copy of the response can be found here.
