Governance

For every development company there is a wide range of economic, social and environmental risks and opportunities. Our approach to sustainability has always been underpinned by a clear understanding of our impacts and our long-term objectives. We have identified these impacts in our sustainability policy and the objectives that we have set. We regularly review them to ensure they continue to meet the needs of our business and evolving Government policy.

In such challenging economic conditions transparency is ever more important hence this is our eight year of reporting our sustainability achievements and our progress towards meeting our objectives. Our sustainability objectives and targets apply to all aspects of our business.

Leadership and risk management

Leadership of our strategy comes from our Main Board which is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, accountability and corporate governance, as well as ensuring our people are committed to sustainable development. The Main Board is supported by the Health, Safety, Environmental and Quality Committee, the Risk Management Committee, the Audit Committee and a number of Advisory Groups and Forums.

The Group maintains a risk management strategy and systems to ensure that the risks to which it is exposed are clearly understood and regularly considered. This also ensures that adequate controls are in place to effectively alleviate their impact. This is overseen by the Risk Management Committee, which is in turn reviewed by the Audit Committee. Each Committee reports to the Board regularly throughout the year.

Our Health, Safety, Environmental and Quality Committee, which meets regularly and which is chaired by the Chief Executive, is supported by a number of Forums which are focussing on the development of solutions to current and impending policies.

We have continued to update and embed key corporate policies into our business including sustainability, environmental, social and ethical, health and safety, training and development, and equal opportunities.

Certified management systems

We also have a reputation for good management practices certificated to internationally recognised standards, as well as Investors in People. Indeed, sustainability issues are being systematically applied into the Group’s practices and risk management procedures through our management systems which apply to all roles and responsibilities throughout the Group. In so doing they cover the full development process from site viability to customer care.

Our management systems are continuing to deliver financial and operational benefits and during the reporting period, all of them have been re-certified, including Quality, Environmental and Health and Safety.

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Brian Mark, Director of Sustainability, Fulcrum Consulting

Carrington Park, Warrington, Cheshire