Church Commissioners for England formalise sustainability targets through launch of strategic land ESG study

• The Church Commissioners for England formally publish independent ESG baseline appraisal of their strategic land portfolio.
• Baseline study by sustainability consultants Hoare Lea reveals that the strategic land portfolio is performing strongly in respect to its ESG targets.
• As part of its targets the Church Commissioners will begin screening development partners’ ESG commitments.
• UK landholding has the capacity to deliver c.30,000 new homes across England, of which around c.9,000 will be classed as affordable.
• The report maps key areas of the Church Commissioners’ strategic land work against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ensuring consistency with the global sustainability agenda.

The Church Commissioners for England, has undertaken an audit of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance of its strategic land portfolio.

The audit which resulted in the publication of this report, produced independently by sustainability consultants Hoare Lea, benchmarks the portfolio’s current delivery against ESG criteria when aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The audit assessed the portfolio against various themes and challenges, including climate change and net zero carbon, mobility and transport connectivity, biodiversity, and high-quality building design.

This work forms part of a wider commitment by the Church Commissioners’ strategic land team to formally integrate key sustainability considerations into all projects and delivery models, maximising the benefits for the new and surrounding communities. The baseline report establishes the portfolio’s current position and identifies the key areas in which improvements can be made while also assessing where existing good performance can be strengthened.

At present, the Church Commissioners’ has the capacity to deliver 30,000 new homes, of which around 9,000 will be classed as “affordable” as defined by current planning policy. Around 9,000 new homes are currently subject to live planning applications and in the pipeline for future development.

The Church Commissioners makes use of their strategic land portfolio to deliver housing across England, both through smaller scale developments of a few homes to larger and more comprehensive masterplans for new communities, working with other landowners where appropriate.

Joanna Loxton, Head of Strategic Land at the Church Commissioners for England, commented:
“The Church Commissioners act for people and the planet. With the capacity to deliver 30,000 new homes across England, this strategic land portfolio needs to ensure that in addressing acute housing need across the country we are also striving to address the climate crisis and social injustice across the communities we serve. This audit has aided our understanding of the ESG performance of the strategic land portfolio to help us work towards a more sustainable future.”