The Crown Estate

Great to see progress in action through Cefas’s Floating Offshore Wind Environmental Response to Stressors (FLOWERS) project which is funded through our Offshore Wind Evidence and Change programme. FLOWERS is gathering critical data to help stakeholders involved in offshore wind developments better assess the impacts of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from subsea cables on the marine environment. As Tim Pick, the UK’s offshore wind champion, has previously emphasised, data gaps are a major factor in consenting delays. That’s why OWEC’s work is so essential. Through projects like FLOWERS and our other Cefas-led OWEC projects, we’re building a robust evidence base to ensure sectors aren’t planned in isolation and in way that supports a thriving marine environment alongside vital industries such as fishing and offshore wind. Two additional Cefas-led projects that are driving progress are the Nature Inclusive Cable Enhancement (NICE) project, which aims to better understand the ecological impact of 'standard' subsea cable protection technologies versus newer, more nature-friendly alternatives. We’re also advancing Fisheries Sensitivity Mapping and Displacement Modelling (FiSMaDiM), a project with key industry partners to map fishing activity and understand how offshore wind farms might impact fisheries. Learn more about our investment in OWEC here: https://lnkd.in/euG-mpBk

A focus on #ethical values, an ability to strategise and a passion for putting #people and #planet first have helped guide Anna Swaithes to her current position as Chief Sustainability Officer at The Crown Estate. Anna focusses on how businesses need to change to contribute in a meaningful way. Collaboration over competition. Regeneration over extraction. Value for many not few. Now delivering the best possible social and environmental impact as a steward of #land #coastline in #rural and #infrastructure portfolios, Anna explains why being prepared to step into the boots of others and doughnut economics can help improve #sustainability goals. https://lnkd.in/emhT9Xje dss+

Last month we published a joint report, Inclusive Spaces and Places, with Grosvenor highlighting the need, barriers, benefits and recommendations for inclusive design in the built environment. In the EG article below, our Sustainability Director, Deborah Clark, reflects on how the industry can design out inequality in urban environments by listening to lived experiences, embedding inclusive design throughout project lifecyle and industry-wide collaboration. You can also find the article in the print edition of EG published today. https://lnkd.in/ea53vc_P To access the Inclusive Spaces and Places report and tools, find link in comment below. #InclusiveDesign #Accessibility #LivedExperience #Diversity

We are always looking at ways to collaborate with our customers in bringing our shared ambitions to life. One example of this is our partnership with BAFTA at 195 Piccadilly to host an annual #TransferrableSkills Day. The career day aims to remove barriers to opportunities into the #CreativeIndustries and promote employability skills for young people. This year around 120 pupils from #Westminster schools joined us on the day. Watch the highlights below.

Exciting progress underway through Natural England’s Reducing Seabird Collisions Using Evidence (ReSCUE) project. This innovative initiative is improving our understanding of seabird flight patterns, a vital step for seabird conservation and the responsible expansion of offshore wind. Access to better data on seabird flight heights and risks is essential to streamlining the consenting process for offshore wind projects. Alongside accelerated grid connections and other critical efforts, this helps to unlock the 50GW of clean energy capacity required by 2030, supporting the Government’s clean power goals. ReSCUE is part of our £50 million Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Programme (OWEC), which funds a range of projects to de-risk and accelerate offshore wind deployment while supporting nature restoration. By addressing both energy and environmental needs, we’re supporting the UK’s position as one of the most attractive places to invest in offshore renewables, whilst enabling our marine and coastal ecosystems to thrive. Learn more about our investment in OWEC here: https://lnkd.in/euG-mpBk

We’ve unveiled more details about our refurbishment of the iconic New Zealand House. This Grade II listed building sits at the southern gateway to Haymarket, the Arts Quarter and St James’s Market, and will welcome back the New Zealand High Commission who are returning to take a substantial amount of space. https://lnkd.in/gYa9AbJF 📸: The Crown Estate courtesy Henk Snoek / RIBA Collections

Meet Dotty the dragonfly and Flappy the seagull – our latest heroes in teaching the #NextGeneration about #sustainability, #RenewableEnergy and #NatureConservation! Last year, we partnered with Microsoft UK to create two #Minecraft Education worlds – The Offshore Wind Power Challenge and Conservation Quest at Windsor Great Park – to inspire young people in #GreenCareers. If you are looking for fun and meaningful activities for the children to do this half term, have a look here and access the games in both English and Welsh: https://lnkd.in/e8DJJkbq

In collaboration with the London Fire Brigade, today our real estate teams attended a listen and learn session hosted at Soho Fire Station. During the session we shared valuable information about our buildings to enable effective emergency response to incidents. Thank you to the London Fire Brigade and the Soho Fire Station crew for this important opportunity!

An exciting announcement from National Energy System Operator today on their commission to develop Great Britain’s first Strategic Spatial Energy Plan, creating a comprehensive blueprint for the energy system across land and sea. We look forward to continuing to work closely in partnership with NESO as we take a coordinated, systems-led approach to enabling the #EnergyTransition, accelerating the development of important #renewable technology and protecting #nature. 

Fantastic news for a Friday as it's been a week of award wins and nominations for The Crown Estate! 🎉 On Tuesday, alongside design partners Radley Yeldar, we won 'Best Use of Data' for our Marine Data Exchange (MDE) at the Digital Impact Awards! The MDE is a world-leading collection of #marine industry survey data and this award celebrates the innovative use of #data to enhance stakeholder #engagement, improve decision-making and deliver measurable results. Also on Tuesday, at the Global #OffshoreWind Awards, the Joint Offshore Wind and Air Defence Programme won the #Collaboration award which, alongside other organisations, members of our Offshore Wind team have contributed to. Our brilliant Offshore Wind Evidence and Change programme (OWEC) was also nominated in the same category! Alan Chivers from our #Health, #Safety & Wellbeing team was also nominated for the 'Unsung Hero' award and was Highly Commended. And last night, at the Building #Innovation Awards, we won 'Resilient Infrastructure Innovation / Project of the Year' for our Whole Of Seabed programme! This award celebrates initiatives that have implemented pioneering technologies to enhance the resilience of #infrastructure systems against natural disasters and #ClimateChange impacts. Huge congratulations to our teams for their superb successes this week in the face of some tough competition, and to all winners and nominees across the three ceremonies! 👏 #DigitalImpactAwards #RUKAwards #BuildingInnovationAwards