Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

BREEAM in the UK: Schemes, Planning and Funding Drivers, Assessment Process, Ratings and Typical Compliance Features

Published by a LexisNexis Construction expert

Practice notes

What is BREEAM?

The Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM) provides a framework for assessing and certifying the environmental performance of a building’s design, construction and operation. Certified buildings are given a BREEAM score and rating, allowing the environmental impacts of their design and construction to be measured and benchmarked against other certified buildings. BREEAM is owned, maintained and managed by BRE Global Ltd. BRE Global Ltd issues licences to independent, trained and qualified BREEAM Assessors who carry out assessments. Completed BREEAM assessments are then submitted to BRE for independent review and certification.

Drivers of BREEAM

While BREEAM is a voluntary standard, there are several drivers for undertaking a BREEAM assessment, including:

Local development frameworks, via planning authorities, specify BREEAM ratings to be achieved to demonstrate the sustainability of developments. For example, in Wales, all new non-residential developments (over 250m 2) promoted or supported by the Welsh Government or its sponsored bodies must achieve BREEAM excellent, or an equivalent quality assured scheme. In March–May 2016, the Welsh Government consulted on incorporating aspects of the previous Sustainable Buildings National Planning Policy into the Building Regulations in Wales...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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