Strategic Ambition Eight
"Develop homes, services and operations in a sustainable and environmentally responsible way"
Throughout this year, our commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility advanced significantly, marking important progress as we embed this strategic ambition across all aspects of our operations. Acknowledging that our greatest environmental impact comes from the homes we build and manage, we have taken meaningful steps towards improving both our existing and new housing stock.
Working closely with external sustainability experts, we have developed a comprehensive Sustainability Strategy informed by robust, data-driven insights. This strategy aligns clearly with established Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles, providing a framework to track our progress and ensure our sustainability efforts deliver tangible results. The strategy also sets out our ambitious target of achieving an EPC rating of C or better across all homes by 2029, ensuring we are prepared for future regulatory requirements and delivering tangible environmental benefits to our residents.
A significant achievement this year was successfully securing a £1.3 million grant from the Warm Homes Fund. Combined with matched funding from our resources, this initiative will deliver an impactful three-year investment programme worth £2.6 million. This programme will see extensive retrofitting across our homes, significantly improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.
Our refreshed Development Strategy now firmly embeds enhanced environmental standards, setting a minimum EPC rating of B for all new-build properties and adopting fabric-first principles to minimise energy consumption. These stringent criteria demonstrate our commitment to long-term sustainability, significantly reducing environmental impacts, and lowering household costs for our residents.
In recognition of the importance of accurate, comprehensive property data, we further accelerated our programme of stock condition surveys. This enhanced data has already improved our ability to strategically prioritise environmental investment and will continue to underpin future planning, enabling targeted and cost-effective sustainability interventions.
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Developed and formally adopted a comprehensive, data-driven Sustainability Strategy aligned with ESG principles, establishing clear metrics to track our progress.
Secured £1.3 million grant funding from the Warm Homes Fund, enabling a substantial three-year, £2.6 million retrofit programme focused on energy efficiency improvements.
Embedded higher environmental standards within our refreshed Development Strategy, setting ambitious targets for new homes, including minimum high-level B EPC ratings.
Enhanced and accelerated our stock condition survey programme, significantly improving the quality and accuracy of our property data to better inform sustainability investment decisions.
>> Effective delivery of sustainability goals requires a detailed understanding of property-specific needs. Robust property data is essential to making informed, strategic investment decisions and achieving meaningful environmental gains.
>> Sustainability initiatives can become highly complex; clear, data-led frameworks help maintain a focused, cost-effective approach and facilitate accurate reporting and benchmarking.
>> Achieving our ambitious EPC rating targets by 2029 will require tailored solutions for individual properties. Early identification of retrofit options and securing targeted external funding are critical to managing the financial impact effectively.
