We are pleased to share our annual Sustainability Report, covering our progress during the year ended March 2023.
The report adopts the Sustainability Reporting Standard (SRS) for housing. This is the voluntary reporting framework launched in 2020 in response to recognition that environmental, social and corporate governance investment (ESG) in housing was being inhibited by a lack of a common reporting standard. Adopting the framework allows us to report in a transparent, consistent and comparable way.
The report outlines our overall strategic and operational approach to environmental, social and governance considerations. This includes our progress in how we mitigate our impact on and adapt to climate change, our focus on ensuring customers’ homes serve as a foundation for families and individuals to build fulfilling lives, and how we ensure good governance, safeguard the wellbeing of employees and prioritise robust internal processes and accountability.
Highlights include:
- A 5% increase in the number of homes meeting the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C and above. This raises the total to 87% of all homes.
- We were pleased to complete the refurbishment of the first building in our programme to regenerate Bedford’s high-rise blocks. Ashburnham Court benefited from several improvements, particularly around enhancing energy efficiency.
- 14 homes (at Fen Drayton) being developed to meet the Future Homes Standard, EPC A, and ensuring a minimum of 10% biodiversity net gain.