Full Report - Sustainable Aggregates

CR/07/042N
In essence the review found that in order to achieve these objectives nationally, it would be
necessary to build an additional 120,000 private sector homes per annum which would reduce
the upward trend in real house prices to 1.1% (equivalent to the average trend rate of house price
growth for Europe). This approximates to a doubling of current private sector house building
levels, which are around 125,000 per annum. Moreover, an increase in supply of social housing
of 17,000 homes each year was believed to be required to meet the needs among the flow of new
households. A further 9,000 homes would be needed to start to accommodate those already in
need but not provided for. An additional 23,000 social homes per annum would represent a more
than doubling of the current annual provision, which is around 21,000 units.
Set against this was the recognition that house building on this scale would not come without
environmental costs. Although the Barker Review did not attempt to assess these costs it made
clear that choices had to be made between meeting social and economic need, and avoiding the
adverse environmental consequences of doing so.
In order to understand better the environmental costs of building the extra homes (1.4 million in
total) which the Barker Review proposed, the government commissioned consultants to assess
and produce a report into the environmental implications. The report, entitled “Study into the
Environmental Impacts of Increasing the Supply of Housing in the UK” was carried out by Entec
and others and published in April 2004.
The study examined a wide range of environmental effects including effects on Green Belt and
other protected land, demands on water supply and energy use and the impacts on local
environmental quality and access to the countryside. In addition, and pertinent to this study, it
examined the impacts of the construction process in terms of the UK demand for aggregates and
looked at ways in which this demand could be reduced.
5.2 SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
The Entec report identifies two key ways in which house construction might be made more
sustainable through reducing the amount of aggregate used. Firstly, it suggests designing houses
which make more efficient use of materials, including aggregate, and secondly, it suggests that a
reduction could be achieved through increasing the density of developments in order to reduce
the amount of aggregate used per unit in associated infrastructure.
Traditionally, sustainable construction was achieved by making use of locally derived materials.
This avoided the need to transport over long distances. In addition it resulted in the development
of local styles, making areas distinct from one another. Such local distinctiveness contributes to
the character of an area and is important in creating a sense of place. Traditional building also
makes use of renewable resources such as wood. However, it is no longer possible to continue
building in the traditional way and keep pace with demand for new housing. The areas where
housing is needed are not necessarily those which have ample supplies of building materials,
resulting in the need to transport over long distances. In addition building in the recent past has
not always made the best use of available land.
The concept of considering alternative methods of achieving sustainable construction is well
established. The UK strategy for more sustainable construction, “Building a better quality of
life”, published in 2000 sets out 10 key themes for action by the construction industry, which
were designed to encourage the adoption of more sustainable practices in the industry. These
themes included:
• design for minimum waste;
• lean construction (and minimise waste);
• minimise energy in construction and use; and
• respect people and the local environment.
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