Memorandum from the Home Office
1. This memorandum has been split into two
sections. The first deals with the 2 Marsham Street Project, the
environmental aspects of its procurement, the sustainable features
of the new building as well as an explanation of the procurement
of timber. The second deals with progress on sustainable development
issues since the last Sustainable Development in Government report
in November 2002.
Section A: 2 Marsham Street
DEVELOPMENT SUMMARY
2. The sustainable re-development of the
site of the former Department of the Environment Office Towers
site comprises:
— a planning consent that introduces
substantial residential and retail uses, and the introduction
of two attractive public footpaths through the site;
— demolition of the Towers and bunkers
with some 80% of waste recycled and working to dust, noise and
vibration limits agreed with Westminster City Council;
— a new Home Office Headquarters building
planned to house up to 3,450 staff, achieving an excellent BREEAM
98 assessment, and a contractual requirement to achieve energy
consumption at least 10% below the targets in the Government's
energy efficient best practice programme energy consumption guide
(January 2000);
— staff facilities such as access for
the less abled, a cre«che and a multi-faith prayer room to
support equal opportunities;
— 35 flats and apartments being built
by Galliard Homes of which 33 are being sold to Threshold Housing
Association as affordable housing; and
— nine shops/restaurants and three
kiosks serving the local community as well as the office occupiers.
3. On 26 March 2002 the Home Office entered
into a 29 year contract with Annes Gate Property plc (AGP) for
the funding, demolition, design, construction and provision of
facilities management services for its new Headquarters. The works
are on programme for completion on 26 January 2005 with full occupation
on 26 April 2005. The lead architect for the new building is Sir
Terry Farrell and the main sub-contractor for the works is Bouygues
UK Limited; which is a subsidiary of the international construction
company Bouygues Construction SA based in Paris.
SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT
PROCESS
4. The Department's tender required a sustainable
solution to be offered by bidders in the following main ways:
(1) the output brief to bidders required
the submission of a good quality design, inclusion of whole life
costs, provision of good access for the less abled, facilities
to support equal opportunities and an environmentally friendly
building;
(2) it specifically required bidders
to adhere to the Department's environmental policy in preparation
of the design and the carrying out of construction and subsequent
management of the building;
(3) the bidders were also asked to submit
their assessment of how their design would be rated under the
Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method
(BREEAM);
(4) the sustainable development issues
were assessed in the detailed evaluation plan particularly for
design and construction but also in other areas; and
(5) the brief required the successful
bidder to operate an environmental management system equivalent
to ISO 14001 in the provision of facility services.
Contract provisions on green issues and the use
of timber
BACKGROUND
5. On 4 and 5 June 2003, Greenpeace demonstrators
occupied the 2 Marsham Street site by climbing the construction
cranes. They alleged that illegally logged timber had been used
in sheets of plywood added to the original site hoarding inherited
by the 2 Marsham Street developer Annes Gate Property plc (AGP).
6. In a letter to Mr Meacher on 4 June,
Greenpeace asked for confirmation of the action DEFRA would take
to ensure that Indonesian timber would not be used again on any
Government contract until such time as Indonesian timber could
be certified as coming from legal and sustainable sources; and
for clarification as to how DEFRA would ensure that the Government's
timber procurement policy was fully enacted across Government.
7. Michael Meacher replied on 6 June informing
them that Lord Filkin had asked for a full investigation into
their allegations relating to the 2 Marsham Street site. Any lessons
to be learned would be brought to the attention of the Ministerial
Sub-Committee of Green Ministers—ENV(G)—and of all
senior procurement officers in each Department.
GOVERNMENT POSITION
8. On 28 July 2000, the Environment Minister
issued a statement committing Government actively to seek to buy
timber and timber products from sustainable and legal sources,
for example those identified under independent certification schemes
such as that operated by the Forestry Stewardship Council. It
further commits the Government to monitoring progress, assisting
Departments and Agencies in working with timber suppliers and
producers, giving guidance on best purchasing practice and setting
overall targets for timber purchases from assured sustainable
and legal sources. It excludes banning the purchase of timber
or timber products which cannot be shown to be sustainably and
legally produced as that would be unfair and impracticable.
9. The Home Office issued an internal revised
policy with application to the whole Home Office Group in November
2000. In respect of purchases of timber the policy (which is still
current) aims to:
"Wood. To purchase sustainably produced
timber and timber products such as joinery, fittings, furniture
and veneers. This is to be achieved through specifying in orders
and contracts that suppliers provide documentary evidence (which
has been independently verified) that the timber has been lawfully
obtained from forests and plantations which meet the following
criteria. The forests and plantations must be managed to sustain
their biodiversity, productivity and vitality, and to prevent
harm to other eco-systems and any indigenous or forest dependent
people.
To ensure that timber procurements are in accordance
with international agreements such as the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
To consider buying re-claimed timber or products
made from re-claimed timber where it is cost effective and practical
to do so.
To put in place procedures for monitoring their
timber procurement policies".
The above wording is taken from the appendix
to the Environment Minister's statement of 28 July 2000.
10. On 6 June 2003 DEFRA issued a further
clarification, which included the following statement:
"This e-mail is to . . . clarify that the
Government policy on timber applies to all wood and products used
in performing contracts. That includes the wood used temporarily
during construction works as well as wood fixed as part of a finished
structure".
BREEAM
11. BREEAM is a benchmarking system recommended
by DEFRA and OGC, as a means of assessing the overall environmental
performance of a building's design and construction. Timber procurement
and use is one of the areas of design and construction assessed.
After completion of development, licensed BREEAM assessors issue
a certificate giving a rating of environmental performance from
"fair" through to "excellent". Our understanding
is that BREEAM assessment includes consideration of the sourcing
and use of timber, but this does not extend to timber used in
temporary works such as site hoarding or scaffolding boards.
CONTRACT WITH
AGP
12. While the Home Office contract is with
AGP, the purchase of timber is carried out through a sub-contract
by Bouygues UK Ltd. The AGP contract requires compliance, by AGP
and its suppliers, with the Home Office environmental policy,
(as set out in paragraph 9) in the development phase and during
the operational phase. Home Office environmental policy requires
the procurement of timber from legal and sustainable sources that
is independently verifiable. The contract also contains a commitment
by AGP to use all reasonable endeavours to achieve an "excellent"
rating under BREEAM, relevant to the time the building was designed.
TIMBER PURCHASED
BY AGP
13. This mainly consists of timber for adapting
the site hoarding and timber used in forming shuttering for the
pouring of concrete. Plywood has been used for both. The site
hoardings are required for AGP to meet its obligations both for
safety and security. A large part of the site hoarding has re-used
the hoarding previously erected by the Home Office to secure the
site when it was merely empty offices. AGP has to that extent
met the requirements of the Government's environmental policy.
In sourcing the additional timber acquired, AGP or its sub-contractors
have, at the request of the Department, provided evidence of its
lawful clearance through customs. AGP has confirmed purchase of
217m3 of timber. Of this, the sawn softwood was sourced in France
(46%). The remainder was plywood from Indonesia (30%), Brazil
(23%) and Finland (1%). AGP expect to re-use existing plywood
and do not plan to purchase much more timber for use in the construction
process. If such timber is needed, they are assessing alternative
sourcing. AGP is trying to ascertain the exact source of the plywood
used so far from Indonesia, but has stated that, as a company,
it does not intend to source plywood from there again.
14. As no timber has yet been procured for
use in the new building itself, the issue of its sourcing has
not yet arisen. AGP have confirmed that they intend to follow
the letter and spirit of the contract in the procurement of timber
for use in the new building, with full recognition of the requirements
for certification and independent verification of the sources
of such timber.
CENTRAL POINT
OF EXPERTISE
ON TIMBER
15. There is a clear wish to make progress
with the sourcing of timber from legal and sustainable sources.
DEFRA is, therefore, considering the establishment of a new central
point of expertise on timber which will assist departments in
sourcing timber and timber products. With this support the future
purchase of legal and sustainably sourced timber for all projects
will be made more efficient and effective.
Section B: Home Office Progress on Sustainable
Development
HOME OFFICE
CONTRIBUTION TO
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
16. The Home Office aims have a clear link
to the social progress element of sustainable development. The
level of crime is one of the 15 national headline indicators for
sustainable development, whilst fear of crime, voluntary activity
and community spirit are all supporting indicators. These issues
are reflected in the Home Office PSA targets. A table showing
the relevant PSA targets and latest outturn figures is attached
at A. Key points are:
— overall crime, as measured by the
British Crime Survey, (BCS) fell significantly as had domestic
burglary and vehicle crime;
— over the 12 months to December 2002
violent crime fell by 2% and recorded robbery by 3%;
— levels of fear of crime for the year
ending December 2002 fell in key categories of vehicle crime,
burglary and violent crime;
— establishment of a baseline demonstrating
that in 2001, 47% of the population is active in the community
at least once a month; and
— increased diversity in the Home Office.
In April 2002 32.6% of staff in the core Home Office was from
an ethnic minority alongside 3.5% in the Police (halfway to the
2009 target); 4.9% in the Prison Service (compared to the 2002
milestone of 4.1%) and 9.7% in the Probation Service (compared
to 2009 target of 8.3%).
17. The Home Office is involved in many
initiatives aimed at delivering the PSA targets. Details of the
activities undertaken in 2002-03 and plans for 2003-04 can be
found in the Home Office Annual Report 2002-03. Listed below are
some of the initiatives, which made a positive contribution towards
sustainable development last year:
— working with DfES to reduce truancy
rates;
— basing 100 police officers in schools
by December 2002 as part of the Safer Schools Partnership Initiative;
— Connexions' support for 13-19 year
olds and the improved behaviour projects in schools;
— Youth Inclusion Programme targeting
the 50 most at risk 13 to 16 year olds in 70 disadvantaged neighbourhoods;
— tackle alcohol-related crime by working
with others in developing a cross cutting alcohol strategy;
— running a £5 million publicity
campaign to make motorists more aware of simple steps to avoid
becoming victims;
— piloting effectiveness of Automatic
Number Plate Recognition as a crime reduction tool. In first 26
weeks of the pilot there were 3,071 arrests, 328 stolen vehicles
recovered valued at over £2 million, £715,275 worth
of stolen property recovered and £102,179 worth of drugs
were seized;
— targeted intelligence-led police
operations in street crime hotspots backed up by the quicker identification
of suspects using video ID facilities;
— establishing 70 designated street
crime courts;
— established a new cross-cutting unit
to deliver on anti-social behaviour. Backed by new legislation
this unit will focus on reviving communities where anti-social
behaviour has taken hold; thereby improving quality of life and
preventing a more serious crime;
— improved the visibility of frontline
policing by achieving record number of police officers, 131,548
by 30 September 2002;
— funded 1,222 Community Support Officers
across 27 forces to provide a patrolling presence and tackle minor
public nuisance and anti-social behaviour;
— strengthened our links with vulnerable
groups (victims, elderly, those with disabilities and minority
ethnic groups) and developed a fear assessment model, enabling
policy makers across government to identify how their policies
and interactions might impact on the fear of crime;
— distribution of some £27 million
in grants to over 250 voluntary and community organisations and
match funded a further £12 million in grants to 24 new public
sector volunteering projects from seven Government Departments;
— spending of some £25 million
in developing formal volunteering and community activity has helped
create 27,426 additional opportunities in support of public services;
and support around 93,000 volunteer placements in communities;
— published the Home Office Race Equality
Scheme and Action Plans to show how the Home Office will fulfil
its obligations under the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000; and
— established, with the CPS and LCD,
The Criminal Justice Race Unit to address the under and over-representation
of people from ethnic minorities in the criminal justice system.
FRAMEWORK FOR
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
ON THE
GOVERNMENT ESTATE
18. In April, the Department published,
via the website, its approach to tackling the first tranche of
targets on the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government
Estate. The full website statement is attached at annex B, but
the main actions are:
— EMS to be introduced using BT Entropy
system at key office sites across main Home Office by 31 March
2004;
— Prison Service to use experience
from implementing EMS at four sites to produce an environmental
manual which will be piloted in their North-West area, with a
view to wider adoption across the whole Service if it proves successful;
— the National Probation Service, which
was created on 1 April 2001, has plans to put in place a system
for identifying and managing key sustainable development impacts
on their key sites as part of their new property management arrangements;
— to purchase alternatively fuelled
vehicles, so that by March 2006 10% of the fleet will be alternatively
fuelled;
— to review our policy on motor mileage
payments and consider measures to discourage staff from commuting
to work by car;
— water surveys will be undertaken
at poor performing office buildings and recommended modifications
where practicable will be undertaken;
— prisons and laboratories will work
towards meeting benchmarks on water consumption; and
— the key sites on the National Probation
Service Estate which have responsibility for payment of utilities
will also join Watermark over the next two years.
19. We are taking a project management approach
to these (and future) targets with regular reports and quarterly
progress meetings.
PROGRESS ON
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
20. We are still in the early stages of
putting together our contribution to the annual Sustainable Development
in Government report, due to be published in November 2003. Some
of our key achievements during 2002-03 are:
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
SYSTEMS
— ISO14001 accreditation achieved at
three prisons.
ENERGY
— Approximately 50% of the electricity
supplied to the key sites on the main Home Office estate is from
green supplies exempt from Climate Change Levy.
— Energy benchmarks have been developed
for the Prison Estate.
— Solar water heating being piloted
at HMP Prescoed.
— Completion of a sub-metering installation
programme in the Prison Service.
WATER
— Benchmarks set for laboratories and
prisons.
— Completion of project to refurbish
Central London estate with waterless urinals.
— Detailed water surveys undertaken
at 10 worst performing prisons.
— All cisterns on Croydon estate replaced
with low water use systems.
— Introduction of rainwater recovery
systems being considered on prison estate.
WASTE
— Piloted new waste paper recycling
scheme in main headquarters building.
— Waste management courses held for
Prison Service Waste management supervisors.
— Forensic Science Service undertaking
a waste management strategy to reduce amount of biological and
chemical waste as well as office waste.
— Prison Service piloting new mattress
covers to help reduce level of disposal.
PROCUREMENT
— Use of recycled paper in printers
and photocopiers mandated across the Department.
— Provision of fair trade teas and
coffees as default option for meeting refreshments across Central
London estate.
— Regular procurement bulletins covering
green purchasing and sustainable development issues.
— Green purchasing incorporated into
procurement training and guidance material.
— Environmental issues embedded into
Department's Procurement Process Checklist.
— Prison Service guidance on environmental
issues and new prisons was developed and used in evaluating new
prison proposals for Peterborough and Ashford.
— Environmental impact assessment checklist
introduced for central Prison Service contracts.
— Performance specification for procuring
prison houseblocks requires environmental and sustainability criteria
to be met.
BIODIVERSITY
— Prison Service Director General signed
a Strategy Statement and Statement of Action for a Prison Service
Biodiversity Action Plan in March 2003.
— Lake rejuvenated at HMP Askham Grange.
— Wildlife gardens designed to encourage
insects butterflies, bees and birds at HMP Holloway.
— Development of a wildlife sanctuary
at HMP Foston Hall.
— Staff and prisoners at HMP North
Sea Camp involved in Boston Wash Banks Project in partnership
with the Environment Agency, English Nature and RSPB to address
erosion of sea defences protecting the prison and prime agricultural
land.
TRANSPORT
— Trial programme to develop Transport
Environment and Efficiency Reviews on fleet vehicles being conducted
in North-West area.
— Environmental considerations included
in the specification for future Prisoner Escort and Custody Services
contract.
— Bicycle loans extended to allow Prison
Service staff to purchase a bicycle to undertake part of their
journey eg to reach their local railway station.
— Video Link Project whereby prisoners
can participate in court proceedings without having to physically
attend court has been extended. It now covers 57 prisons, 156
magistrates' courts and two Crown Courts.
SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT
STRATEGY
21. Although the procurement section of
the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate
has still to be published, the Home Office is already taking steps
to put in place a Sustainable Procurement Strategy. We want to
build on the work the Department has already done to integrate
environmental considerations into our procurement process. We
are currently scoping the project to identify what is and what
is not worth pursuing and will consult with DEFRA and other Government
Departments to learn from the approach being taken elsewhere.
June 2003
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