Private landowner the Church Commissioners hopes to formally implement its sustainability framework across its strategic development projects this year.
In an ESG report published today, the Church of England’s main property arm said the framework aims to address the current lack of a standardised industry best practice approach.
Joanna Loxton, head of strategic land, said in the report: “With the development of our sustainability framework we are aiming to help advance the industry’s approach to ESG.
“Our focus is on delivering new homes and employment opportunities across England, via the town planning system, to support the long-term needs of local communities and wider society. By integrating sustainability into the heart of our approach, we will identify opportunities to address local needs, shape the approach of developers and help to enhance the natural environment,” she added.
The report covers the commissioner’s £2.5bn real assets portfolio, which makes up a quarter of its overall investment portfolio and involves assets across farmland, sustainable forestry, development land, built environment and infrastructure.
Within this, its development land portfolio is suitable for the delivery of around 30,000 homes, of which it anticipates roughly 9,000 will be affordable. “This, we understand, would take forward more new housing and communities than any other private landowner in England,” the report said.
The commissioner’s Best Practice Sustainability and ESG Framework is a toolkit designed to help the professional advisers it works with, embed 10 key ESG elements into its projects at all stages. These include placemaking and social inclusion, biodiversity, affordable housing, climate change and net zero carbon. The framework also includes the use of a sales charter to ensure that the developers it works with sign up to its ESG priorities for the long term.
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