Paul Morrell says, despite appearances, government not abandoning commitment to sustainability

The government鈥檚 chief construction adviser has insisted that, despite appearances, the government is not abandoning its commitment to sustainability, and that its approach to the green agenda has been misinterpreted.

In an exclusive video interview with 好色先生TV, Paul Morrell said he understood why the government had been accused of mixed messages over sustainability, and that it was not about to 鈥渞egulate us into a green market鈥.

However, he said accusations of u-turns were a misinterpretation.

He said: 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 easy to see why it might get read in that way. Clearly if you鈥檙e heading off in one direction and then you head off in a different one, then that鈥檚 a u-turn.

鈥淏ut I think it鈥檚 very easy to put together some of the announcements that have been made and say that adds up to an abandonment of the principles of a green government, which I don鈥檛 think is a proper reading.

鈥淸However], if we鈥檙e waiting for a government that will regulate us into a green market, then I don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 going to happen.鈥

In the interview, given in advance of the Government Construction Summit on 2 July, Morrell also dismissed some contractors and consultants as 鈥渟hort-sighted鈥 over uptake of building information modelling (BIM).

Morrell described BIM technology, which brings projects teams together via a single computer model of a proposed building, as the 鈥渕ost exciting thing I鈥檝e seen in my working life鈥.

He said: 鈥淚 think you鈥檙e more or less declaring yourself to be somebody who鈥檚 about to fall off the back of the bus really if all you鈥檙e looking at is cost and change and being gloomy about that.鈥

WATCH THE PAUL MORRELL INTERVIEWS: