“With a 300-year history, Calthorpe Estates understands the importance of looking to the future, alongside conserving the Estate’s past and enhancing its present. Recognising the collective challenges currently facing the built environment, including the climate emergency, we have embarked on a journey to improve our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) credentials. We are committed to developing and evolving our ESG ambitions, actively considering ESG across our business activities. Below are some of the ways we are working to positively impact the Estate to meet the long-term interests of our communities.”
Environmental Social Governance
To review our ESG policy – please click here
Environment and Climate
Net Zero :
We have enlisted the help of a consultancy to produce a net zero carbon pathway and are creating a strategy to turn that into a specific plan for the Estate. We have signed up to the BPF Net Zero by 2050 commitment.
Electric car charging points :
Calthorpe Estates is pleased to have established an Electric Vehicle Charger Operator Partnership with Total Energies, a first for Total Energies in the West Midlands Region. The first EV Chargers under this agreement will be in Edgbaston Village and Pebble Mill.
Waste disposal :
As part of our ESG journey Calthorpe Estates has been reviewing the control of waste estate-wide. We will be working in partnership with a carefully chosen provider to bring our customers not only value, but also a service that is designed to meet current and future standards for recycling. By partnering with our chosen provider they have targets to reduce scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions 42% by 2030 based on a starting point in 2022 and to measure and reduce scope 3 emissions. ULEZ-compliant vehicles and cargo collection bikes will be used across Calthorpe Estate as well as other evolving initiatives to reach this target. All customers involved with the partnership will be able to track usage and carbon savings as well as other environmental data from every service used.
Our partner will work closely with customers to increase recycling rates, collaborate to reduce overall waste and reduce carbon emissions through innovative solutions. We are hopeful this initiative will improve all aspects of waste production and disposal for the benefit of all our customers.
Muckrach Forest
The Project – a landscape-scale new forest across 1,900 hectares on our Scottish estate which we have owned since the 1960s and is one of the largest afforestation projects undertaken in the UK.
We started planting 619 hectares of native woodland in 2023, the majority of which will be Scots native pine and broadleaves, with a further 124 hectares of woodland created by the natural regeneration of seedlings that grow from seed dropped from the trees already there.
A further 900 hectares of mixed wetland and open moorland habitats will provide vital homes and breeding grounds for a wide range of birds and other wildlife, as well as preserving heritage features and healthy freshwater habitats that feed the river Spey.
Up to 1 million trees will be planted, storing circa 260,000 tonnes of carbon in their lifetime.
Peatland Restoration
The project – restore a portion of the moor on the Muckrach Estate. We have competed the restoration of over 260 acres of drained moorland. This primarily involves filling in all the ditches to allow it to flood more easily again. This work enables the peat carbon produced to be ‘locked in’ and prevents it from releasing into the atmosphere.
The creation and protection of wetland habitats involves the monitoring of water quality and the restoration of peatland through drain blocking and revegetating of eroded areas. This will not only lock up carbon that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere as it dries out, but restore biodiverse habitats that threatened wader bird populations rely upon, as well as slowing the runoff of water into the river Spey catchment.
The Benefits
- 265 hectares of peatland restoration, preventing up to 30,000 tonnes of peatland carbon emissions over 65 years.
- A mosaic of freshwater, wetland, moorland and native woodland habitats will encourage a diverse mix of wildlife to the area and support the area’s breeding bird populations.
- Improved routes through the site for responsible public access are an integral part of the design – allowing visitors to connect to the landscape and enjoy the wellbeing that can bring.
Edgbaston Village Community Garden
The Edgbaston Village Community Garden will be a public space bringing the local community together in a relaxed and peaceful setting, nestled amongst the vibrant streets of Edgbaston Village. The garden will encourage interaction through delivering and maintaining the garden as a community and will provide a space for people, living, working and visiting Edgbaston to take a break in a green and leafy environment.
Energy Performance Certificates (EPC)
Calthorpe Estates is actively upgrading the portfolio to improve its energy efficiency with over 50 properties upgraded so far. Over the coming years Calthorpe plans to improve a further 57 residential properties up to a minimum C rating and a further 137 commercial properties, many of which are heritage buildings, to C or even B ratings where viable. The Estate is committed to reducing energy consumption across the estate and are also implementing solar power to further enhance their portfolio. Calthorpe have achieved a 15% improvement in commercial EPC scores since April 2022 resulting in an estimated reduction in emissions of around 7%.
People and Place
Community
The Calthorpe Real Estate Bursary
The aim of the bursary is to expose young people to the potential opportunities in considering a career in property and the built environment and for the student who is awarded the bursary, to support them with resources required to complete their chosen course. The first bursary was awarded in 2023 to a student studying Quantity Surveying at Aston University
Volunteer Day
Each member of staff is invited to participate in a giveback day and help the wider community.
Bayfield Charitable Trust
The Calthorpe family has a separate charitable trust which awards donations in Birmingham and across the country. The Calthorpe Estates team recommends local charities to the trust for support.
The Ladywood Community Project
We have donated to the summer and winter hunger plea every year for the last 6 years, and will continue to do so.