Landsec

We’re celebrating 80 years of Landsec, 80 years of: ✔️Finding and shaping the very best places that bring lasting value to our customers, communities and to our business ✔️Joining forces with our communities to create places that enhance quality of life bringing joy to people within, and contribute to economic growth   ✔️Equipping our talented people with everything they need to succeed, while  adapting our business to reflect our continually changing society  Find out more about how our story started in 1944 with three properties and unlimited ambitions that continue to drive us today: https://landsec.com/80

🌿Great news! Mayfield Park in Manchester has received the prestigious Green Flag Award, an international award that acknowledges and celebrates well-managed parks and green spaces. The judges said that they had 'never seen such an outstanding urban park in 20+ years of judging'. Mayfield Park is Manchester's first new park in 100 years and is part of a major urban development of a 24-acre brownfield site in Manchester City Centre. People who live in urban areas like Manchester care about restoring nature in their cities. From our own research, almost 9 out of 10 city residents agree that new developments in their city should prioritise access to nature. By including nature in the way we design, develop and manage places, we can enhance biodiversity; supporting health, wellbeing, community engagement, and mitigate the effects of climate change.  

Exploring our 80-year history has been a fascinating experience – particularly the conversations I’ve had with our previous CEOs where I’ve found out just how much of our ambitions from our earlier years are still front of mind for us today. I sat down with Ian Henderson, who was a part of Landsec for 33 years and worked with our founder, Harold Samuel, before becoming CEO in 1997. We reflected on the infamous words of our founder "location, location, location" and the importance of place and partnerships in generating long-term value for our economy and communities.  Find out more: https://landsec.com/80

Our free Wimbledon screenings at Cardinal Place, One New Change and New Street Square were a hit last year, with 16,000 visitors and 98% of those asked having a positive experience. We’re bringing the screenings back to the same locations this year. You can watch the matches, spend time outside and try different food and drink experiences from local bars from 1 July to 14 July. We want to create places and experiences that enhance well-being and connect people, so why not head down to one of the screenings and enjoy the atmosphere. 

One of the most effective ways to decarbonise buildings and drive down city emissions? Heat pumps. That’s why as part of our £135m net zero transition investment plan, we’re installing more than 50 electric heat pumps in 10 offices across London. These heat pumps will support more than 100 businesses to reach their ESG targets by occupying a building that doesn’t rely on gas – directly contributing to a significant part of our customers’ own net zero goals. They’ll also remove around 5,000 tonnes of carbon annually from London’s air.  Find out how heat pumps will future-proof our cities and reduce our own carbon footprint, and that of our customers. London Climate Action Week #LondonClimateActionWeek Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eUBmED2X

We’ve increased our stake in Bluewater by 17.5%, taking our ownership to 66.25%. We’ve been investing in Bluewater since 2014, building a platform where brands can flourish and creating memorable moments that attract guests and keep them coming back. This is the next step in that journey and forms part of our objective to grow our investment in major retail destinations, as we continue to focus on delivering long-term value for our brand partners and communities from our places with the highest potential. Congratulations to the team involved. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/dPKYqHvA

Urban development doesn’t have to come at the expense of nature. In fact, it can be the catalyst to replenish nature in our cities. And as people across the UK consider access to nature as one of the fundamentals that keeps them in the cities where they live and work, developments that prioritise nature are vital in sustaining and driving growth. Read more about nature’s value to cities and our new approach at Landsec in my latest column with EG.

In my latest conversation with Property Week, we talked urban brownfield sites and how they’re key to unlocking growth across the country. Since then we’ve seen the manifestos published for the main political parties and there is strong consensus building around policies to support urban brownfield regeneration. Resourcing the planning system. Fast-tracking urban brownfield sites. Simplifying decision making. With the right policies in place we can unlock the sites with the greatest potential, creating the right benefits for local communities and generating growth around the UK. 

A wonderful evening last night at the Pride in Property event, sponsored by Landsec alongside Berkeley Group Plc, British Land, CBRE, The Crown Estate, Grosvenor, Lendlease and Savills I was pleased to attend with various colleagues, including from our own Pride network. Inclusive places are a keystone of our business and it starts with how we recognise, celebrate and support one another through events like this.

We believe everyone should have the opportunity to have a successful career and flourish in life, regardless of their background. Today, on Social Mobility Day, we’re bringing our people and community partners together to learn how we can do even more to improve social mobility in our industry and across the places where we invest. We do this through Landsec Futures, which aims to help unlock barriers to jobs and create value for our communities where they need it most.   #SocialMobilityDay #sharemoments Diverse Leaders Network, XLP, Construction Youth Trust, 20/20 Levels, Resurgo, Ahead Partnership, Circle Collective