Water use
We used 15% less mains water in the common parts of our like-for-like portfolio than in 2004, exceeding our target of 5%.
We also used 6% less water in our annual like-for-like portfolio than last year.
- At our offices, usage increased by 1%. We will be working to achieve year-on-year reductions by installing water saving devices, harvesting rainwater and raising environmental awareness. Offices accounted for 75% of water use.
- At our retail parks, usage reduced by 15%. This was largely due to water efficiency measures at a number of parks and rainwater harvesting at Teesside in Stockton-on-Tees. Retail parks accounted for 17% of water use.
- At our shopping centres, usage reduced by 37%. This was largely due to water efficiency measures and rainwater harvesting schemes at Meadowhall in Sheffield. Shopping centres accounted for 8% of water use.
We focus on like-for-like water use because this removes the impact of changes in our portfolio and in the number of properties reporting data.
Next year, we will also monitor the amount of water that is sourced using rainwater and borehole schemes, as part of our efforts to encourage the use of water from non-mains sources. This will reduce costs long-term and encourage conservation of potable water.
We aim to reduce like-for-like water use by 20% by 2015, compared to 2004. Next year, we aim to reduce like-for-like water use by 2%, compared to this year.
