Environment & Community

United Kingdom

Community

Westfield is the United Kingdom’s biggest retail-led regeneration developer. The Group’s projects act as catalysts for positive change in towns and cities throughout the UK. Westfield works in partnership with local councils and regeneration agencies to promote long-term vision and masterplanning for city regeneration programmes.

At the heart of our business in the United Kingdom, Westfield is creating tens of thousands of new jobs, improving transport infrastructure, providing new homes and public spaces and transforming the retail landscape. Westfield shopping centres support a workforce of about 20,000, but this number will grow to approximately 80,000 on completion of the current development pipeline.

Westfield shopping centres deliver social and economic benefits to local communities, making the centres a valuable part of the community and a catalyst for substantial new investment. 

During 2007, Westfield formed a partnership with the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children to raise awareness and funding for its vital activities.

Environment

Westfield is committed to raising the environmental performance of its shopping centres. The Group has introduced numerous energy-saving and recycling initiatives across the entire United Kingdom portfolio, such as energy efficiency, car sharing and encouraging retailers and customers to use public transport.

Every new development project presents an opportunity to improve the design and efficiency of Westfield shopping centres in areas such as energy and water conservation, materials recycling and public infrastructure connectivity.

Westfield designed its London development project to achieve the highest practicable standards of energy efficiency and low carbon emissions, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 24% against the originally consented scheme. The development includes green and brown roofs, which will provide additional habitat at roof level.

At Stratford City, Westfield is setting new standards for a large-scale development by introducing far-reaching environmentally sustainable strategies to guide the design, construction and operation of the project. Reducing energy and carbon emissions is a priority at Stratford City. Efficient building design means that 75% of all power will be provided through the construction and operation of a combined cooling, heat and power plant. Upon opening, the development will exceed current building regulations for waste, water, ecology and tree conservation by 25%.