Sustainable Development of the UK Construction Industry for Future Development

The construction industry (CI) has been identified as key enabler, which can contribute significantly to all aspects ofsustainable development (SD) because of the major impact that building activities have on the environment and thewider social and economic impact. Despite this surge of interest, the prevalence of SD in the CI is still lagging behindthat of other industries and changes in practice remain relatively slow. This study sought to scrutinise the current stateof the CI within UK and identify key barriers and critically analysing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities andthreats. This research also, considers three high profile Eco-towns in the UK including BedZED (South London), NorthWest Bicester Eco Town (Oxfordshire), and the failed Owenstown Sustainable Town (South Lanarkshire) and identifythe key lessons from these and discusses how the industry perceives that SD can contribute to develop the sustainableconstruction. The results recommend a strategy for future development.

Keywords:

Construction , Sustainable Development , SWOT Analysis , ECO-Towns , Strategy