Wood Chip Boiler Heating System
The Glenlivet Estate Office and Information Centre is the principal office for Crown Estate staff on the Glenlivet Estate. The building occupies approximately 200 m2 of floor space and has an internal area of approx 600 m3. The building is well insulated both with wall and roof insulation and double glazing throughout.
The previous heating system consisted entirely of electric night storage heaters which were costly to run, difficult to control, and could not adequately cope with the heating requirement in the public areas of the building. The Crown Estate was able to secure grant aid for the installation of a wood fuel boiler as a demonstration project in the locality to help kick-start a wood fuel supply cluster.
The total cost of the project was £31,000. Wood fuel for the boiler is sourced from local Crown Estate forests.
Much independent evidence confirms that over the long term, the use of wood fuel heating systems can result in considerable savings in heating costs and better energy efficiency.
Energy Saving Week
In support of the Energy Saving Week (24th – 30th October 2005), we ran an awareness campaign on energy saving tips for the home and the office. This took the form of an energy saving lightbulb shaped piece of recycled card prepared in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust. The “lightbulb” was distributed to all lessees on the Urban (including our affordable housing estates) and Rural estates and to all staff.
JNAPC Code of Good Practice for Seabed Development
The Joint Nautical Archaeology Policy Committee (JNAPC) works to raise awareness of British underwater heritage as well as developing proposals for legislative reform. In recognition of the increased awareness of the need to manage and protect our marine historic environment, The Crown Estate and JNAPC thought it timely and topical to produce a revised version of the Code, which was first published in 1995.
The new code looks to build on the principles set out in the original and offers guidance to developers on issues such as risk management and legislative implications. It also provides a comprehensive list of expert contacts for further advice. The code highlights the responsibility of seabed developers in protecting the UK’s marine heritage and identifies the potential benefits to companies which follow best practice.
More information can be found on The Crown Estate website.
UK Woodland Assurance Standard
In November 2005 The Crown Estate successfully achieved accreditation under the UK Woodland Assurance Standard (UKWAS) for a further 5 year period. In achieving this, The Crown Estate has demonstrated that all of its forested estates throughout Britain are managed to the highest of environmental standards. Effective forest certification under UKWAS involves independent assessment of forest management practices against set criteria. These include the use of recognised best environmental practice for harvesting and restocking; development of access and educational activities for local communities; the conservation of biodiversity rich woodlands; and the protection of rare plants and animals and monitoring of all forest management systems.
Environmental Performance Index
This year, consistent with best practice within the property industry, we have introduced an Environmental Performance Index (EPI) for the managing agents on our urban estate. This system helps the managing agents improve their environmental performance in line with our CR objectives, through a process of monitoring, encouragement and practical help. An example of the method in action is our agents providing us with data on water and energy consumption in our directly managed properties. We then review the data and see where we can make improvements. EPI performance is now linked to agents’ bonus payments.
Ceredigion Boat Place
The Ceredigion Bay Boat Place, located at New Quay, Cardigan Bay, is a new focal point for dissemination of key environmental messages and a Code of Conduct for boat users in the area. Using a mixture of interactive displays, the Boat Place will ensure tourists and those launching from Cardigan Bay, know about the presence of protected marine wildlife and the issues related to disturbance by boats. Awareness about the wider Cardigan Bay environment, its features and related conservation issues will also be raised as the Boat Place will be used by a range of local interest groups. The centre also has a live webcam link to the Birds Rock Lookout which was renovated through our Marine Stewardship funding.
Messages developed for the Boat Place will be promoted across the whole of Cardigan Bay at tourist information centres, booths at launching sites, boat clubs and sailing schools, harbour masters and in shops and cafes.
Owl Boxes
Since 1991 The Crown Estate, in association with The Wildlife and Conservation Partnership and the Hawk and Owl Trust, has been responsible for a conservation project across its estates providing nesting sites for birds of prey. The project now covers many of The Crown Estate’s rural estates with over 300 boxes spread across 14 estates. The starting point was on its estates around The Wash and in an exciting new development this year a discreet web cam was installed in a nesting box recording the hatching of a clutch of kestrel eggs.
Guidance on dealing with Munitions in Marine Aggregates
The increase in the instances of ordnance being lifted from the seabed with the resultant risk and disruption to staff, service personnel and the public identified the need to provide practical advice for the safe treatment of suspected unexploded ordnance. Working with representatives from the industry and supporting authorities, we produced a guidance note designed to:
- Outline the potential risks and safety measures that need to be considered;
- Provide practical advice to marine aggregate operators on the measures to be taken to reduce the risk of dredging munitions; and
- Describe the procedures to be followed when suspected munitions are encountered.
The Rural Bulletin
During 2006/07, The Crown Estate’s Rural Department produced two Bulletins which were sent to farm tenants, customers and stakeholders.
The Crown Estate is committed to working with all its tenants and customers in seeking the right options for the future and the content of the Bulletins highlighted some of the ways in which this is being done, as well as providing an insight into what is being achieved on the Rural estate.
Fleet Place House
For the second year running, Fleet Place House won a Gold Award from the Corporation of London under their clean city scheme.
Outer Bristol Channel Marine Habitat Study (2003-2006)
The Outer Bristol Channel stretches from Milford Haven and Carmarthen Bay in South Wales to Barnstable Bay in Devon, and includes significant areas of marine sea bed mineral (sand and gravel) resources. The purpose of the project was to provide a greater understanding of the current state of the sea bed environment over most of the area, its biology, sediments, geology and morphology. It was also recognised that there was a need to investigate the interactions between the biology and the geology. Therefore, this was a multifaceted project which involved scientific survey and interpretation, designed to provide scientific information in support of policy making. The project also incorporated a major educational outreach activity.
The educational activity included making the project aims and results available to a wide audience through a bilingual multimedia CD-ROM ‘Explore the Seafloor’, web pages, a touring museum exhibition, and outreach awareness sessions for schools, colleges, community societies and interest groups. The themes of the exhibition and CD-ROM were the geological and biological diversity of the Outer Bristol Channel and the role of marine exploration in the conservation and use of the marine environment.
The Crown Estate co-funded the study with the Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF), the Sustainable Land Won and Marine Dredged Aggregate Minerals Programme (SAMP), the National Museums and Galleries of Wales, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the British Marine Aggregate Producers Association (BMAPA).
CrownGate Shopping Centre, Worcester
At the CrownGate shopping centre in Worcester, several events were organised during 2005/06 to highlight good environmental practice. Two such events were:
Employees who regularly cycled to work, helped to promote Green Transport Week in June 2005 by cycling through the shopping centre. A photocall was arranged to raise awareness of the impact transport has on the environment and to highlight alternative forms of transport.
A demonstration of washable real nappies was arranged as part of the The BIG Recycle week.