Sustainability: critical thinking

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Our panel of experts:

“We have assurances from officials that F and G buildings are in sights. By conservative estimates, F and G buildings cover 18% of the market, so that’s a hefty wrench to be introducing”
Patrick Brown, assistant director (sustainability), British Property Federation

“The government are concerned about the adverse impact on growth if it introduces penal regulation. And they have no money to offer carrots”
Keith Bugden, programme director, Better Buildings Partnership

“I feel momentum has been growing in the last year. There are projects under way that are making a difference and awareness is spreading - that’s very different to five years ago”
Bill Hughes, managing director, Legal & General Property and chairman of the Green Property Alliance

“Some of those striking out green lease clauses are tenants that have CRS (corporate social responsibility) policies. We’ve discovered that lawyers are doing this because they don’t understand them”
Debbie Hobbs, sustainability manager, Legal & General Property

“You can achieve a lot in a concrete structure. It is expensive but one just has to look at the office sector in terms of old buildings being renewed. There are ways that they’re coming back into use”
Simon Wilkes, head of business space development, Legal & General Property

“I’d also like to see government and others accept that sustainability isn’t about a brake on growth - it is all about growth”
Miles Keeping, head of responsible property investment, Drivers Jonas Deloitte

“Government needs to realise it’s not all about development, but about leasing structures. That might mean doing different things, around how we pay our energy bills, for instance”
Dr Paul McNamara, consultant, Investment Property Forum

“I think the property sector is coming together in a way we haven’t seen before, showing government that sustainability is a growth area”
John Alker, director of policy and communications, UK Green Building Council

“Revenue creation is another side to sustainability - you can become a more trusted brand. You can employ ethical sourcing principles and hope people will want to shop with you more”
Munish Datta, head of property “plan A”, Marks & Spencer

“We are as much about cities as buildings. So the issue for us is the impact of Hurricane Sandy. Resilience is a growing theme - it is about risk beyond the immediate building”
Joe Montgomery, chief executive, Urban Land Institute

Patricia Brown, director, Central
Andrew Renshaw, lead director, professional advisory group, Jones Lang LaSalle
Bonny Hedderly, professional support lawyer, K&L Gates
Ben Elder, global director of valuation, RICS
John Rhodes, founder and director, Quod
Giles Barrie, former editor-in-chief, Property Week (chair)