Leading developers call on next Government to ‘kickstart a timber revolution’

Leading low-carbon developers called on the next Government to ‘kickstart a timber revolution’ at the UK Timber Design Conference in London.

More than 200 developers, local authorities, insurers, engineers, architects, contractors and manufacturers gathered at Timber Development UK’s (TDUK) inaugural UK Timber Design Conference to hear from industry leaders.

Opening the event, Richard Walker OBE, executive chairman of Iceland Foods and innovative developer Bywater Properties said timber’s critical role in decarbonizing construction must be recognised – and accelerated – with the support of the next Government.

He said: “The need for us all in property to do more and at pace to tackle the climate emergency is urgent. But we can’t do it without the help of government: the next government must kickstart the timber revolution that’ll be absolutely critical in delivering carbon reductions.”

In particular, Richard highlighted the need for a new Government to take bold action to unlock sustainable development with a planning system which supports rather than inhibits those choosing to build the low-carbon, efficient buildings we need today.

Richard said businesses have a critical part to play in creating a positive impact on people, places, and the environment. This has been a passion of his across both his roles; in retail and in property development – where embracing sustainable timber is an active choice: “Conviction-led moments of passion, like Bywater moving into timber – or Iceland banning palm oil products – are pivotal moments for an entrepreneurial business. We need to seize those opportunities and nurture them.”

Bywater Properties were among a range of developers at the conference discussing their efforts to decarbonise construction – along with Related Argent, developer of Brent Cross Town, and Human Nature, developer of Phoenix in Lewes.

David Hopkins, chief executive of TDUK, agreed with the sentiment – restating the importance of partnership between industry and Government to reshape how we build in the UK, and embrace the many incredible businesses already delivering low-carbon construction.

“The speakers we had across the conference, and every individual in the room, demonstrated an ambitious and dynamic industry ready to lead construction to a more sustainable future – using existing solutions to overcome our housing and climate crises,” he said.

“Embodied carbon, which could account for up to 40% of the carbon emissions of construction between now and 2050, is completely unregulated. The high-carbon, low efficiency methods which dominate England today will cause us to fail to meet our net zero targets.

“We need change now. The next Government must signal – from day one – they are willing to take on the challenges of building low-carbon today by bringing forward legislation – like Part Z – to begin measuring and reducing these carbon emissions as a top priority.”

In a panel session on the future of housing, John Smith of Donaldson Timber Systems said the industry was prepared. They are already manufacturing systems which go beyond the needs of the Future Homes Standard – while James Turner of architects Mikhail Riches said they were regularly designing and delivering low-carbon housing schemes to a Passivhaus standard.

The readiness of industry to deliver low-carbon solutions – which can reduce both embodied and operational carbon today – was echoed right across the conference, especially in the final session, which looked at what the next Government could do to unleash a wave of sustainable construction right across the UK.

Speakers including Zoe Watson from UK Architects Declare, Will Arnold from iStructe, and Brigitte Clements from ACAN! posed powerful policy recommendations – widely agreed by industry – which would support construction to decarbonise at scale.

Key asks included ‘regulating embodied carbon’, ‘incentivising retrofit’, ‘investment towards biobased materials’, ‘circularity principles reflected in policy’, ‘alignment of net zero with housing’, ‘investment in skills training’, and ‘decarbonisation in government procurement’.

The UK Timber Design Conference, which was supported by Built by Nature and Swedish Wood, has shown itself to be an essential event for anyone interested in sustainable construction. It will return next year.