Over two thirds (68%) of respondents to the report by by engineering consultancy Patrick Parsons said that improvements to building material supply chains to reduce carbon would be critical to achieving net zero, followed by 63% who said that existing planning regulations need to change to support the sector if it is to hit this target. Using alternative materials which have a lower carbon footprint is also a significant barrier to overcome for 62% of those questioned, followed by decarbonising existing buildings (59%) and the ability to collect data to measure carbon in buildings (48%).

When asked about the impact of the focus on climate change because of COP26, 86% said that they believe it will accelerate positive advances in sustainability in the sector during 2022.

Commenting on the findings of the report, Conor Murphy, senior partner, structural engineering at Patrick Parsons said: “The UK construction industry is committed to reaching Net Zero by 2050 and is confident that this target will be met. However, this ambition is not without its challenges in terms of the materials used, the need for planning rules to change and the ability to decarbonise legacy buildings to improve their performance. Greater use of sustainable design and engineering in the planning of new developments, will support the pathway to net zero.”