Overview

We work with the Government, its agencies like Homes England and local authorities to deliver more quality homes in highly sustainable environments.

Why are they important?

Working at scale means that the proposals we bring forward will have a material impact on the delivery targets of central and local Government as well as the consequential requirements, such as schools, highways, landscapes and the health of a range of statutory bodies.

What do they want from us?

Methods of engagement

In addition to the formal planning processes, as the leading Master Developer, we actively engage with national and local Government and wider Government agencies to identify ways in which the planning and delivery of large scale developments can be improved. Senior team members often lead tours of our sites for Government stakeholders or speak at national conferences. We are actively engaged in supporting Government stakeholders in the promotion of their key functions through contributions to publications and highlighting how we have been able to meet their objectives on large scale Strategic Sites. These reports also provide the Board with an objective and public assessment with which to consider site progress and a demonstrable validation of our culture and approach in action.

How we engaged in the year

Houlton School, with its reuse of a Grade II listed building unifying heritage and education requirements, has continued to win a wide range of awards this year including RIBA’s inaugural Reinvention Award which was presented alongside the Stirling Prize. The school has formed the centrepiece of a number of tours around Houlton to illustrate the advanced delivery of a Strategic Site. We have hosted local and county authorities as well as the House of Lords Built Environment Committee and provided support for the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities stakeholder workshop on site at Houlton. Senior team members have also been contributing to Natural England’s Development Industry Group and a number of other stakeholder groups as well as chairing Centre for Cities. Given the Government’s focus on Cambridgeshire, we have also met with Homes England to share knowledge and assist its understanding of both the risks and opportunities in the area.

Outcomes

We are finding that there is an emerging consensus across the political spectrum that infrastructure led large sites are an appropriate and acceptable way to bring forward new communities and meet housing need in the wider South East England. Urban&Civic’s existing sites in delivery are regarded as best in class and Sport England used Houlton as a case study to illustrate how large scale Strategic Sites can meet all ten of Sport England’s Active Design principles. Our Sustainability Framework is taking our delivery beyond regulatory requirements with our target of achieving 25 per cent Biodiversity Net Gain across our sites by 2025. This is giving us valuable insights which we are able to share with Defra and Natural England as they bring forward the statutory requirements.