The importance of sustainable development

At Beech Holdings, sustainability is embedded into the fabric of everything we do.

While other developers see sustainability as a buzzword, or a tick box exercise, we are committed to ensuring that every building we bring to market works with the environment and not against it.

Whether we are renovating old buildings previously considered unfit for modern use, or developing off-plan properties, at Beech Holdings we always ensure that we build with sustainability in mind. All of our properties come with high-quality fixtures and fittings, such as Quartz worktops, Amtico flooring and top brand appliances as standard. By choosing these more expensive options during the development phase, we ensure that they will not need replacing for a significant period of time, and therefore will not end up landfill. We are also committed to ensuring that the operational day to day running and costs of our developments are as efficient as possible. By using Air Source heat pumps and underfloor heating, we cut down on the amount of energy the buildings use – with some developments in our portfolio virtually passive in their emissions.

While a lot of UK developers are yet to focus on the sustainable durability of their buildings, we have been doing it for as long as we have been operating, and recently our Westpoint development – which was completed back in 2017 – was recognised by the first-ever European Coliving awards in the category for Impact and Sustainability.

When we were working on designing and building Westpoint, it was common practice for every apartment within a development to be seen in isolation; with each apartment housing its own energy and utility sources, such as water tanks and heating. However, when it came to Westpoint, we opted for a pioneering approach, and decided to treat the building as a whole, with one source for energy and utilities across all apartments. As a result, we made the building significantly more efficient from an operational perspective, with the building now virtually passive in its emissions. For example, we decided to house one communal water tank in the building, which not only meant we could deliver bigger apartments without the need for a bulky utility cupboard, but it also meant we could regulate the heating of the water for the whole building and repurpose the heat from the water tank room into the Airsource heat pumps, to keep the building warm.

As a developer, we believe we have a responsibility to ensure the buildings we bring to market have the potential to be around for the long-term and not damage the planet in the process.

If you would like more information about the steps we take to ensure our developments do not harm the environment, or if you would like to discuss our latest investment opportunities, then get in touch with our team of expert property consultants today.