Balancing Interests through Partnership

Good business means listening to and understanding our stakeholders needs and ensuring we respond. Engaging with our stakeholders is an ongoing process which we undertake through a variety of approaches in our business practices. In 2008 we strengthened our engagement through increased dialogue with a number of our key stakeholders to enable us to identify and prioritise material issues.

Our stakeholders are:

Communities	Government	Local Authorities	Development Partners	Customers
Employees	Suppliers and Contractors	Experts	Industry Groups	NGOs

Click on a stakeholder group to see how we engage with them.

Employees

We continuously engage with our employees to inform our strategy and implement Group policies and business strategies. We employ electronic media to reinforce and assist face-to-face communications. The Business improvement Workgroups, and the sustainability champions network provide focal points for developing business strategy, sharing and building knowledge. During the restructuring of the business all employees were fully informed and consulted with throughout the process. Find out more in Employees.

Government

We work constructively with government to help assess the impact of regulation, and to support the development of solutions to address strategic priorities for the sector. Examples of engagement during the year include:

• Financial impact of regulation with The Treasury
• Consultation on Strategy for Sustainable Construction with DEFRA
• Ministerial briefings with the Department for Communities and Local Government
• Supporting the Zero Carbon Hub
• Participating in The Callcutt Review.
• Member of the UK Green Building Council Zero Carbon task group reporting to the Zero Carbon Task Force (CLG)

Local authorities

We engage continuously with local authorities to enable us to respond effectively to local policy and develop proposals which ultimately deliver sustainable communities.

Communities

We ensure the full involvement of local communities in shaping the place where they live. See our Case Studies: Oakgrove, Nash Mills, Southlands, One Gallions. In addition to our nominated charity The Royal Variety Club, our regional business units support local charities in cash and by volunteering.

Development partners

We work closely with our development partners to appraise the commercial viability of development proposals and to consider environmental and social impacts. Our partners include the Homes and Communities Agency (Formerly English Partnerships and The Housing Corporation) and regional development agencies including the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), the South West of England Regional Development Agency (SWERDA) and the London Development Agency (LDA). Our Chief Executive is a member of the advisory board for South East Excellence, providing advice and support to develop the skills required to ensure the delivery of quality places. As a member of the LDA’s Developers Forum we contribute to the debates on key sustainability initiatives, giving feedback on draft Mayoral strategies

Experts

We undertake research to further our knowledge and develop best practice in the design and delivery of sustainable housing. We work closely with Camco (formerly ESD) to develop our strategic approach to tackling climate change and project-specific energy strategies. Other partners we have worked with include Gnosys UK (University of Surrey) on sustainable business solutions, Cyril Sweett who deliver our internal Code for Sustainable Homes training programme, the BRE in taking forward the Code, and we are a core member of BioRegional’s One Planet Products club.

Industry Groups

Crest Nicholson is an active member of the Home Builders Federation, collaborating with industry partners to share knowledge and inform the direction of national policy. We are also members of the UK Green Building Council, London First, GWE Business West and the National House-Building Council’s Sustainability Group.

We are an enthusiastic supporter of the Sponge Sustainability Network for construction professionals who share a particular interest in sustainable development of our built environment; from bricks and mortar through design, engineering and planning to communities and regeneration. We see Sponge as a valuable point of interaction, learning and development for its young professionals.

NGOs

We work with non-governmental organisations to further our common objective of sustainable construction, to develop a common understanding of barriers and to evolve new approaches and solutions. Crest Nicholson sits on the steering committee of NextGeneration, a multi-stakeholder initiative established to drive sustainability through the housebuilding industry. More recently we joined WWF Forest Trade Network to improve our procurement of sustainable timber. During the last year we have worked with the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) to develop leading practices in urban design and public space including sponsorship of the Climate Change Festival.

Suppliers and Contractors

We work to develop long-term relationships with our key suppliers and contractors. We meet regularly with our group suppliers and an assessment of their approach to environmental management is undertaken during the tender stage. All contractors attend site pre-start meetings during which opportunities for improving sustainability performance are discussed. More recently we have been working with energy supply companies to assess how we can work together to deliver low and zero carbon homes.