Corporate responsibility | Great Portland Estates

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Great Portland Estates recognises that the importance of the effectiveness of its operations in respect of the environment together with interaction with its key stakeholders, including investors, employees, neighbours, communities, customers and suppliers is key to ensuring the long-term sustainability of its business.

The Board has responsibility for the approval of policy relating to social, environmental and health
and safety matters and is determined to apply high standards to social, environmental and ethical issues in all areas in which the Group operates including the management of the joint venture operations on behalf of the joint venture partners. The Group’s alignment of Corporate Responsibility (CR) risks with its Corporate Responsibility Value Statement, strategy, and objectives and targets together with the Group’s Health & Safety and Environmental policies are approved by the Board on an annual basis. In addition the Board receives annual reports on the environment, health and safety and corporate responsibility and regular reports during the course of the year from Toby Courtauld and Timon Drakesmith on health and safety and environmental matters, where appropriate.

The Group’s Environmental Policy Committee is chaired by Toby Courtauld and includes the Finance Director, the Head of Projects, the Head of Asset Management, the Safety, Health and Environmental Manager, Energy Manager, Company Secretary and Assistant Company Secretary. The Corporate Responsibility, Health & Safety and Environmental Working Groups are chaired by the Finance Director, Timon Drakesmith, and include: the Head of Projects, the Head of Asset Management, the SHE Manager, the Senior Building Manager, Representative of Employee Safety, the Company Secretary and Assistant Company Secretary.

This year, the Company was delighted that its efforts were rewarded with a series of awards covering a range of corporate responsibility activities.

Property industry

Directors and senior management are encouraged to represent the Company’s views and contribute towards the development of the property industry. Toby Courtauld is a member of the Management Board of the Investment Property Forum and a member of the Policy Committee of the British Property Federation (BPF).

Robert Noel is Chairman of the Westminster Property Association (“WPA”), an association of property owners and their advisers in the City of Westminster and is on the Board of the New West End Company, a formal Business Improvement District encompassing Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street. During the course of the year WPA was actively involved in lobbying Westminster City Council, through a series of workshops, on the development of its Core Strategy as part of the Local Development Scheme, the key planning framework under which the Group will have to operate over the next decade. In addition, it has had ongoing discussions with EDF on power supply and the Mayor’s office on planning policy as well as hosting a number of seminars on topical property issues for its members.

In June 2008 we joined the Considerate Constructors Client Partnership and have taken an active part in debating the direction of the Scheme.

Objectives and targets

Great Portland Estates set a total of 43 CR targets at the beginning of 2008 covering the key areas of:

our people;
environment and the portfolio;
tenants and the community;
health and safety;
suppliers; and
investors.

81%of these were fully achieved. If targets have not been achieved, where relevant, these have been included again for 2009 to emphasise our commitment. To ensure the highest level of achievement, where appropriate, elements of the Group’s objectives and targets are also included within individual employees’ objectives and targets.