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Scots must seize green opportunities

The Scottish property industry was today told to seize the early initiative in ‘greening’ the nation’s buildings.

Industry leaders at the ‘Selling Sustainability’ conference in Edinburgh demanded that the Scottish government took responsibility for leading business into the green age. The sustainability conference, hosted by Kilmartin in partnership with the Scottish Property Federation (SPF), came amid radical government targets.

The Scottish government had demanded a 50% improvement in new building energy standards by as early as 2010, with a 75% improvement by 2013.

Ministers were called upon to extend tax breaks from green machinery to whole buildings, while property leaders admitted that they too had to shoulder the burden of catching up with more advanced European competitors.

Patrick Harvie MSP for Glasgow Firhill and convener of the influential Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee, who are overseeing a forthcoming climate change report, said that ministers had wrongly been focusing on new buildings. He said that “more needed to be done to tackle the real problem of existing buildings.”

Dan Macdonald, chairman of the SPF, told delegates: “There is not only a regulatory and an environmental case for sustainable development, but there is a business case too. If sustainable economic growth is to be realised then both the economic as well as the environmental implications of that mantra must be supported by the government and local authorities. It must also be genuinely adopted by those of us in the private sector.”

Ranald Boydell, sustainable development director of Kilmartin, said:

"It is clear that sustainability will have a profound effect on market values and that market leaders will be those that seize opportunities to move ahead of the curve and shape tenant demand, rather than shift the blame. There are some real and substantial gains to be made in the industry for those who are progressive in their attitude and at the forefront of change. Better buildings mean better returns as the cost of carbon will begin to impact on property values.”

Mark Hancock, Chief Executive of Kilmartin, said:

"The time to act is now, both in terms of climate change and market strategy. However, the government can’t just leave this to market dynamics to unfold; it needs to find a way to help the industry deliver. Ministers should set a framework that the industry can respond to and recognise the benefits available through vital tax incentives, in aiding the property sector to make the environmental contributions expected of it."

The conference was held at 9.00am on Tuesday 13 May 2008, at The Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh. Speakers at the summit included Patrick Harvie from the Scottish Green Party; Mark Hancock and Ranald Boydell of Kilmartin; Chris Hiatt, Chairman of Jones Lang LaSalle’s National Office Agency; and Linda Sheridan from the Scottish Government Scottish Building Standards Agency. BBC Scotland’s environment and transport correspondent, Louise Batchelor, chaired the event.

For more info on the SPF, the conference or the wider industry issues, contact Andrew Teacher at the BPF on 020 7802 0113 / 07968 124545 / ateacher@bpf.org.uk