REUSE AND REPURPOSE • SUSTAINABLE SPACES FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED BUSINESSES • OUR THREE YEAR ESG PLAN
THE ARCH COMPANY’S PURPOSE IS MAKING SPACE FOR BUSINESSES TO THRIVE. FOREWORD
We are retrofitters, not developers, and most of our spaces – many of which currently lie empty or derelict – are in the heart of urban communities. This means we are uniquely placed to do two things – minimising our environmental footprint whilst maximising our positive economic and social impact. These two objectives underpin our Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Strategy. The history of the railway arch portfolio is one of continual reuse and repurpose. Most of the arches were built over 150 years ago. They have been reused and repurposed many times to become the homes of thousands of different businesses since the 19th century. Their age, and the local sourcing of the bricks that built them, makes them some of the most sustainable commercial spaces in the country. A recent study showed a light industrial unit in a refurbished railway arch has less than half the embodied carbon of equivalent new build space. Most of the arches are in urban areas close to other commercial neighbours. The predominantly small and medium sized businesses within them are typically located close to the communities they serve and the people who work in them. Being under the railway means they are usually easy to reach by public transport too. Many hundreds of these spaces are currently derelict after decades of underinvestment, often blighting the inner-city neighbourhoods where are they are located.
We have a plan to bring a thousand of them into use by 2030 under our £200m investment plan, Project 1000. This will see unloved vacant properties turn into productive ones, providing space for more businesses, creating employment opportunities, and adding activity and animation to urban neighbourhoods. But we want to go further, reducing our own carbon impact where possible, so it remains well below comparable industry standards. We will maintain a low carbon approach across all operational activity and support our customers to do the same. Many of the measures in this plan – reducing energy consumption and waste – will help our business customers to save on costs too. We also want to maximise our economic and social impact in the communities around the arches, promoting a vibrant mix of businesses, allowing them and the people living around them to thrive. We started in 2019 by publishing a Tenants’ Charter – a series of commitments to our customers – as well as developing initiatives like our annual ARCH DAY community events to celebrate our unique and diverse customer base. Now we want to deepen that relationship to understand more about our customers and how we can facilitate successful businesses contributing to healthy and happy communities. This three year ESG plan sets out a path for The Arch Company to do just that. Craig McWilliam, CEO
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