Community

We aim to create Places People Love with sustainable communities built to last. For us, it is not just about building houses, it is about putting the right building blocks in place for the community to grow. We think critically about the social and digital infrastructure, transport and green spaces needed to nurture vibrant, connected and healthy communities. 

Communicating and collaborating

From the very beginning, we want to engage with the existing local community to make sure that the development we are planning meets their needs. While we employ great people, who have a wealth of experience and knowledge, the people who truly understand the existing community are local people. Every project we design, regardless of its scale, is shaped by local expertise.

There are many ways we can undertake community engagement, from giving presentations and undertaking surveys to meeting with local charity groups and more. Each new development is unique, so we tailor our community engagement to the local circumstances. 

Our Social Value Charter

We are delighted to have launched our Social Value Charter – a comprehensive set of guiding principles that builds on important social, environmental and economic initiatives we implement across the business.

At Countryside, we set ourselves a goal to work together with our partners to create sustainable communities that enhance the quality of life for over one million people by 2030. We are proud to have developed a Social Value Charter that clearly sets out the principles that will guide us to meet this aim.

Our charter commits to five principles that will help us meet the needs of society: listen and learn, support local business, employ local people, support local causes and build sustainably. We have set targets to drive positive change by 2025, including generating 30% social value across Countryside and planting 250,000 trees every year.

At Countryside we don’t just build homes, we co-create thriving communities - places that people love. Our Partnership model has enabled us to cultivate strong and enduring relationships with private and public sector organisations. These mutually beneficial relationships have led to the delivery of many positive socio-economic outcomes for communities.

One example of this is the initiative we undertook during the summer of 2022, where we partnered with Stempoint East and Nuffield Research to host 18 YR12 students from the London Boroughs of Brent, Lambeth, Waltham Forest, Barking and Dagenham and Enfield on a two-week research and work placement. This provided students with an opportunity to learn through working with Countryside and its supply chain. Through initiatives like this, we aim to offer opportunities to enhance the quality of life for individuals across the regions in which we operate.

We remain steadfast in our commitment to making a positive difference to the communities and people we serve with the launch of our Social Value Charter. By following the principles set out in the Charter we can co-create prosperous communities with our partners, invest in local businesses, and deliver better environmental outcomes.