Values-based realism in construction-phase environmental management

At Naturally Compliant we are in the privileged position to provide environmental services to some of the largest construction projects in the UK. From Environmental Management, technical advisory services in protected species, water management, waste, resources, and BNG, all the way through to environmental due diligence. Our experience has been won at the coal face, during delivery rather than in the planning system.

Our approach is shaped by experience gained during construction delivery, rather than solely within the planning system. That experience has not changed our goal; we exist to protect the environment, and to protect the companies delivering the project. What it has changed is how that goal is achieved in practice.

Earlier in January, during a speech at Davos, Mark Carney referred to the philosophical concept of values-based realism. While the term itself was new to us, it clearly describes how we already operate.

A brief definition of values-based realism (paraphrased) is as follows:

• It emphasises the importance of maintaining a balance between idealism and realism.

  
  

• It advocates a pragmatic approach that recognises the diverse values and interests of different players, while being prepared to make compromises to address challenges.

  
  

• It encourages engagement with the world as it is, rather than as one might wish it to be, and prioritises broad engagement to maximise influence.

For us in construction delivery, this balance is unavoidable. Environmental impact assessments are often written when designs, costs and programmes are still developing. By the time a project reaches site, some assumptions no longer hold.

The challenge is rarely about abandoning environmental outcomes. More often, it is about how those outcomes are achieved. Instead of delivering an outcome in the way originally described, it may need to be delivered differently; through collaboration, communication, and the effective use of influence, particularly where measures were not fully costed at tender stage.

For environmental professionals, this can be uncomfortable. We may not always achieve everything we would wish. But within a system designed primarily to deliver commercial outcomes, values-based realism allows us to focus on what is achievable.

In short, at Naturally Compliant, we are values-based realists.

This does not mean we are trying to be the most “pragmatic”, or that we look the other way when something is not right. Rather, it allows us to work effectively within a system that is not yet designed for us – supporting both our clients and ourselves in achieving our goals, while helping us maintain our sanity.

Values-based realism prioritises:

• What will work on the ground

• What can be delivered under real constraints (time, cost, skills, behaviour)

• Learning from past outcomes rather than repeating untested assumptions