Countryside Properties PLC (the Group) strives to be a market leader in achieving sustainable development. The Group is committed to operating sustainably throughout its business activities through the creation of sustainable communities and through urban and rural regeneration. In order to achieve this, we will as a minimum:

  • Comply with all relevant social and environmental legislation and codes of practice;
  • Exercise high levels of corporate governance across the Group;
  • Work towards continuous improvement by setting objectives and targets against which to review our progress;
  • Implement effective management systems to aid the achievement of objectives;
  • Report our performance regularly to our key stakeholders.

The Group aims to achieve the following core goals in a cost-effective manner within the cornerstones of sustainability:

Achieving Environmental Improvement

  • Reduce the use of natural resources during the lifetime of the building through effective design construction and providing advice to occupants on how to operate the building optimally;
  • Seek to build on sites with a previous use and protect biodiversity;
  • Consider the environmental and social impacts of construction materials throughout their lifecycle;
  • Prevent pollution and reduce waste, energy and water during construction activities

Promoting Thriving Communities

  • Design developments which create a sense of community and social inclusion;
  • Seek to enhance quality of life and health and wellbeing through careful design;
  • Liaise with local communities during design and development, consider their needs and reduce any unavoidable disruption to them;
  • Provide employment for the local community;
  • Actively support educational initiatives in the community, schools and universities and provide work experience opportunities;
  • Continue to support local, regional and national charities.

Contributing to a Sustainable Economy

  • Continue to deliver quality and sustainable properties efficiently and profitably for the benefit of our customers and stakeholders;
  • Manage our supply chain to ensure that through proactive engagement it will promote sustainability and ethical procurement;
  • Consider the potential impact of our developments on the local economy of the area.

Ensuring Employee Welfare and Development

  • Develop a safe and healthy workplace for all our staff and third parties;
  • Ensure all employees are treated equally and with respect, and are appropriately rewarded;
  • Maintain the Investors in People standard and thereby develop our people to maximise their full potential by the provision of suitable training and empowerment;
  • Encourage staff to develop their awareness and understanding of sustainability issues.

Sustainability issues are integrated into the core of our activities and we have allocated management responsibility to individuals both at Board level and throughout the business. We are committed to promoting sustainable development and will maintain effective dialogue with our stakeholders in support of achieving this policy. This Policy will be reviewed regularly and is supported by a number of issue specific policies, which are publicly available on the Group’s website.

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Information correct as at 23/05/2008