Strategy & Profile
Countryside Properties’ strategy seeks to create enhanced financial returns at the same time as being an innovative, responsible business. We believe our commitment to sustainable development creates added value throughout the Group’s operations. It opens up new business opportunities, assists in gaining planning permissions, enhances our reputation with our stakeholders and customers, whilst also helping to ensure that our business complies with relevant legislation and forthcoming policies.
New planning and development legislation is being introduced and important policies are emerging that will have a significant effect on our industry in the future. It is highly important, therefore, that we continue to ‘future proof’ our business to ensure that our approach reflects emerging policies, legislation and reporting standards, and meets the increasing aspirations of our stakeholders and customers. We constantly review our ESE objectives to ensure they are aligned with the Group’s business strategy and Government planning policy.
Our business strategy seeks to maintain the Group’s reputation for producing high quality products that will sustain our status with our stakeholders. We are also ensuring that our approach is increasingly adding value as we continue to refine our business model. We encourage teamwork throughout the Group and an enjoyable approach to work whilst retaining our culture for being straightforward and trustworthy with our partners and for honouring our commitments.
The Group can deliver every aspect of development, including private and affordable housing, strategic land, commercial property, mixed-use and mixed-tenure schemes, and recreational and community facilities. This enables us to deliver all the ingredients required for successful urban regeneration and the creation of truly sustainable communities.
Countryside Properties has a £6.5billion nationwide development programme and has a strong track record of delivery in the Government’s key growth areas. Our principal areas of operation are in London and the Thames Gateway, the South East, East and North West of England. We are also expanding organically into other key areas including the West Midlands and Oxfordshire.
The majority of the development land in our control is located in the Government’s key growth areas of the Thames Gateway, M11 Corridor and the Northern Way. Furthermore, with the Group’s reputation and broad range of activities and skills, we are well placed to take advantage of the many opportunities that lie ahead.
As a newly privately owned company, with the support of the Bank of Scotland, Countryside Properties is now better able to focus on medium and long-term value creation. A substantial funding package has been provided by Bank of Scotland which includes the provision of significant working capital facilities to finance future projects.
Many of the Group’s projects are successfully developed in partnership with other organisations, local authorities, housing associations and local communities. Partnerships are often the best way of successfully developing complex sites which benefit from the combined experience, skills and shared resources of the partners.
Recognising our commitment to implementing the principles of the Government’s development policies, we were selected this year for a number of important urban regeneration schemes:
I am very pleased that our five year review has highlighted the continual progress we have made in recent years. As a private Company we will continue adding value as a leader in sustainable development. We believe there are many benefits and opportunities of being a responsible developer and by aligning our strategy with Government policy we are seeing the rewards.
Graham Cherry
Chief Executive
31st January 2007