Environmental report 2024/25

We have been accredited to Investors in the Environment (iiE) since 2011 and have been recognised with their highest award ‘Green’ since 2015.

As of 2021-22 we adopted the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Sustainability Reporting Standard for Social Housing to monitor and evaluate our performance. These frameworks have also formed the basis of our Environmental, Social and Governance Strategy 2023-26, which came into effect in April 2023.

Read our Environmental, Social and Governance Strategy

We monitor the carbon footprint of our head office building and a number of other key performance areas and have set targets to reduce them.

Cross Keys Homes has committed to reduce the consumption of all measured resources by a minimum of 2%. Whilst we still endeavour to meet these targets, we also recognise that as a business we are operating in a fast changing world and need the flexibility to respond with agility to these changes. Our previous baseline year was our full first post-covid year of our new way of working. Due to changes in the pressures of our business, more staff have returned to the office to work and as a result the entire head office building is now open for staff to work in, and previously mothballed areas of the building have been reinstated as work spaces, resulting in the inevitable increase in utility consumption. Therefore, we have reverted our baseline year to 2019/20 as this better reflects the usage of the building and our current working practices. Whilst we will, as a company, take any actions possible to mitigate these, our priority must remain delivering a high quality, cost effective service to our residents and the wider community.

The Indigo development is our largest development to date. Built on a former brownfield site in the heart of Peterborough city centre, the development delivers 315 high-quality, affordable homes that have been thoughtfully designed to support the wellbeing of residents from all walks of life.

The project's most innovative features: such as off-site manufacturing, light gauge steel framing (LGSF), and modular construction, were also the very strategies that enabled it to meet and exceed its sustainability goals. By integrating modern construction techniques with a commitment to long-term environmental performance, the scheme demonstrates how innovation can be a powerful enabler of sustainable housing delivery.

The light gauge steel framing was manufactured off-site to precise specifications ensuring a high degree of accuracy and consistency during on-site assembly and thereby reducing construction time by an estimated 20 to 30 percent compared to traditional methods. The steel frames provided exceptional structural integrity while being lightweight and easy to handle, which reduced transportation costs and simplified logistics. Their galvanised coating offered long-term protection against corrosion and fire, enhancing the durability and safety of the homes.

LGSF is also substantially lighter than traditional steel and reinforced concrete frames, reducing the concrete and reinforcement requirements in the ground by approximately 30%, directly lowering the carbon footprint. Additionally, concrete slabs were designed with metal fibres instead of traditional reinforcement.

The precision of the steel frame system also contributed directly to the scheme's environmental performance. High levels of air tightness and thermal efficiency have been achieved, resulting in reduced heat loss and lower energy consumption. This not only supports the project's sustainability goals but also reduces heating bills for residents.

The scheme also demonstrated strong performance in terms of embodied carbon. The Indigo development achieved an embodied carbon intensity of 417kgC0₂e/m² below the LETI benchmark of 500 kgC0₂e/m².

A further enhancement to the scheme's sustainability credentials was the integration of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system, comprising 214 solar panels. This system has been revised to yield approximately 82,530 kWh of clean, renewable electricity annually, delivered through two arrays installed on the roofs of Blocks A and B. By generating on-site renewable energy, the PV system significantly reduces the operational carbon footprint of the homes, supports long-term energy efficiency, and contributes to lower energy costs for residents.

Sustainability was embedded throughout the project's lifecycle. The use of MMC and high-performance materials helped to reduce embodied carbon, while the energy-efficient design of the homes supports lower operational emissions.

We recognise the power of green spaces to improve both mental and physical wellbeing for people. Through our two community gardens we encourage people to come together, grow things, make connections and engage in gentle exercise.

Our Wellbeing Garden transformed an overgrown space in one of our largest estates from a magnet for flytippers into an oasis of calm. Managed by volunteers and with thanks to the community investment of local companies and charities it now boasts a wildlife pond, productive raised beds, poly tunnel and even a composting toilet!

Local business, Caterpillar, have spent a number of days working in the garden as part of their CSR commitment and have helped to build flower beds and structures on the site. Trees, expertise and time have been donated by the Peterborough Environment City Trust (PECT) and local school children got stuck in with the job of building the pond, under the watchful eye of conservation charity, Froglife. 

         

The garden now hosts a range of community events, even being honoured by a visit from Santa himself. Crafts and mental health activities help to bring together the local community, while neighbours can use the space to meet, chat and potter among the flowerbeds.

         

The WestRaven Cross Keys Homes Community Garden started life in in 2016, along with the Community Café, with the help of funding from the National Lottery Big Local and ourselves. It has grown and flourished in the intervening years and now stands as an independent charity (CIO) run by the local community and CKH.

Like the Wellbeing Garden, it is powered by a band of truly inspirational volunteers and boasts a productive kitchen garden (with produce going into the community and the Café), wildlife areas and an impressive educational programme. In close partnership with the neighbouring primary school, it allows young people to access nature and learn about horticulture and conservation. It too works in partnership with local conservation charities to provide a home for nature, with ponds, trees and nectar rich flowers in abundance. It even boasts a classroom space, so the learning can carry on regardless of the weather! The garden has also hosted community parties, open air cinemas and concerts.

         

 

         

Both gardens enable people to come together and share in nature. They have transformed previously unloved spaces from the haunt of the anti-social to the very epitome of sociability and connection across ages, backgrounds and abilities. They are judgement free spaces that facilitate fun and friendship, with an important underlying message of care for our natural world.