Planning

Sustainability principles to consider

In the overall life cycle of an infrastructure project, the greatest opportunity for shaping its sustainability outcomes occurs at the outset, during the early planning stages. This is where much of what the project will do and how it will be delivered is decided. This includes agreement on the purpose and scope of the venture, the nature of the services the scheme is intended to deliver and the benefits it is desirable to provide. Making the wrong choices here can lock in what follows and limit how sustainable outcomes can be realised later, especially if they then have to be introduced or retrofitted during subsequent delivery stages to achieve the initial vision.