Executive must do more to create sustainable future says RICS Northern Ireland.

The Executive must be more innovative and ambitious if Northern Ireland is to significantly reduce its ecological footprint and create a future that is sustainable in environmental, economic and social terms, according to a leading body representing land, property and construction professionals.

Launching the organisation’s 2008-2011 Manifesto at an event in the Long Gallery at Parliament Buildings, Stormont today (April 15), RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Northern Ireland Chairman, Gerry Millar, says that Northern Ireland has the highest ecological footprint in the UK and that more has to be done to reduce its impact on the environment. Mr Millar also points out that with massive duplication in Northern Ireland caused by division and sectarianism, there is the potential for major cost savings through creating a more shared society.

“RICS Northern Ireland has a key focus on sustainability as it is relevant to the work of all of our 3,000 Northern Ireland members,” Mr Millar says.

“We believe that sustainability should underpin government policy across all departments in order to create a Northern Ireland that is economically successful, socially cohesive and much less environmentally harmful,” he continues.

“Industry of course also has its part to play, but government must take a leading role.

“We welcome the Executive’s commitment in the recently published Programme for Government to protect and enhance our environment. We also welcome its aim to reduce Northern Ireland’s carbon footprint by at least 25 per cent by 2025. However, to achieve this goal and to reduce Northern Ireland’s wider ecological impact, we believe that the Executive must be more innovative and more ambitious in many of its objectives and policies.

“For example with regard to infrastructure construction projects, we believe that the Executive must demand greater energy efficiency, a more efficient use of resources and the use of less environmentally detrimental materials. This will support the creation of a sustainable construction culture in Northern Ireland’s construction industry.

“The Executive should also better use building regulations to ensure that new buildings are more energy efficient and it should be more ambitious in terms of encouraging energy production from renewables. The target of seeking to secure 12 per cent of Northern Ireland’s electricity from indigenous renewable energy sources by 2012 needs to be balanced with a target for increasing overall energy needs from renewables.

With regard to eradicating costly duplication in society, Mr Millar says: “Addressing division is without doubt one of the biggest and most pressing challenges facing Northern Ireland today. Massive expense is incurred by paying for duplicate facilities to service our divided community and division causes inefficiencies and waste that increase Northern Ireland’s ecological footprint and are impeding the economy’s ability to reach its potential.”

“It has been recognised that social inclusion is the bedrock of civilisation and shared communities are sustainable communities. This means greater efficiency and cost savings, enhanced quality of life and a healthier local and global environmental,” Mr Millar continues.

“It is imperative that all efforts are made to address division and to build a shared future,” he adds.

RICS is the principal body representing professionals employed in the land, property and construction sectors and represents some 3,000 members in Northern Ireland. Its members practise in the land, property and construction markets and are employed in private practice, in central, regional and local government, in public agencies, in academic institutions, in business organisations and in non-governmental organisations.

As part of its Royal Charter, RICS has a commitment to provide advice to the government of the day and, in doing so, has an obligation to bear in mind the public interest as well as the development of the profession. RICS Northern Ireland is therefore in a unique position to provide a balanced, apolitical perspective on issues of importance to the land, property and construction sectors.

The RICS Northern Ireland Manifesto can be downloaded from the downloads box on this page.

Summary of key points re sustainability:

• Executive must take practical steps to encourage significantly better energy performance by Northern Ireland’s building stock – e.g. by bringing building regulations up to the highest EU and international standards. These are currently too focused on new build and public funded stock
• The renewable energy grants scheme for domestic properties must be continued
• Executive must take the lead in encouraging sustainable construction – in particular it should demand greater use of sustainable construction techniques when investing in Northern Ireland’s infrastructure
• Executive should consider temporarily reducing non-domestic rates for properties which meet sustainability standards to encourage sustainable construction and to encourage homeowners to ‘retrofit’ their homes
• Greater energy creation from waste must be encouraged
• Executive must work with NIE to ensure that the cost of connection to the grid does not discourage people from producing renewable energy for sale
• Executive should take lead on grey water recycling
• There must be greater investment in Northern Ireland’s rail network – including providing rail access to main airports
• Greater commitment required to reforestation and afforestation – Northern Ireland has the lowest densities of forest and woodland in the EU. Current targets are too conservative
• Planning policy should promote and support well-constructed, high density development, which leads to greater sustainability
• The Executive must place greater emphasis on creating a shared society with  an integrated provision of services for the whole community in order to best use resources and eradicate massive duplication in society