UK Parliamentary group sets policy recommendations for expanding timber construction

Increasing the use of timber in construction has been recommended by both the Climate Change Committee and Environmental Audit Committee to decarbonise the UK’s built environment and achieve net zero by 2050.

The report looks at how the government can achieve this through policies that increase demand for sustainable timber, increase the resilience of timber supply, tackle misconceptions about building safety and expand low-carbon construction skills.

This latest APPG report complements the work of the Timber in Construction Working Group, which was set up by the government in 2021 to identify significant actions that should be taken to increase the number of timber structures built in the UK.

The working group is set to release its official timber construction roadmap later this year.

“By using wood instead of other materials in construction, we can reduce emissions, both through the carbon captured and stored in the wood product and the avoidance of using alternative CO2-intensive materials,” Baroness Hayman of Ullock, Chair of the APPG, said:

“The latest APPG report looks to assist policymakers in their bid to decarbonise construction by outlining what policies can be used to expand timber use in the UK. This report goes beyond the arguments for timber construction. We feel these have been well made and to good effect.

“Instead, we want to turn these arguments into a policy reality, inspiring the government, and other political parties, in their bid to formulate green-built environment policies for the election next year.”

The report can be accessed via the Confederation of Timber Industries (CTI) website - APPGreport.