Land
Land is fundamental to the development process. We are fully engaged with planners, politicians and other stakeholders to ensure brownfield land is used in preference to the greenbelt. In 2004, 69% of our housing completions were from brownfield sites, and in certain regions the figure was over 80%.
Where land is contaminated or demolition is required, extra effort is made to recycle in situ and we work closely with our supply chain to achieve this. We have an enviable track record of regenerating whole communities in some of the UK’s largest cities – Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and London.
Design
We are guided by the Government’s policy guideline PPG 3, resulting in more bespoke design layouts with higher densities. Creating affordable housing, particularly for first-time buyers, and the provision of more key worker accommodation is a national priority. In some of our developments 25% of output represents affordable housing.
Materials
Regarding products and material, all three businesses work very closely with our national supply chain partners to ensure recyclable and environmentally friendly energy efficient products are utilised. This extends way beyond the external aesthetics and includes the interiors and soft furnishings.
A modern working environment is important for our commercial property and construction clients in maintaining their staff morale. We also subscribe to this philosophy.
In 2004, several Miller businesses moved to new offices and in April 2005 our head office is relocating, after 30 years, to a purpose-built modern office at Edinburgh Park.
Transport
Good transport links and encouraging the use of public transport is a responsibility for all businesses. This encourages flexible labour movement and reduces congestion. Our joint venture at Edinburgh Park has in place a Green Transport Policy to which occupiers subscribe. This policy focuses on reducing the number of private vehicles used for commuting purposes. As part of this project we are proud to have been a major contributor to the Edinburgh Park railway station, which serves commuters across the central belt of Scotland. In addition, we have provided a free shuttle bus which operates regular services to and from the new railway station.
Community Involvement
As a major employer we are acutely aware of the need to engage our local communities. We work closely with local schools and community groups and provide financial assistance and devote our time without charge. An outstanding example of this was our staff and supply chain contributing their time free of charge to build a four-bedroom house in Seaham, the profits from the sale of which were used to buy a minibus for a special needs school in Sunderland. We are also involved with numerous local initiatives and we actively support the Arts and Sport (notably, Olympic cycling gold medallist Chris Hoy). At Corporate level we have positioned The Prince’s Trust as one of our lead charities and have integrated the Trust’s ‘Team’ development programme with our own Graduate Training Programme.
Communication
Speedy communication externally with our customers, clients and supply chain, and internally between offices and businesses, is vital to ensure decisions are taken quickly. In the past year we made a major investment and now have every office, site and sales centre networked. Internally, we communicate via an intranet which we have been operating for five years. This doubles up as a document management system, electronically holding all of our house types, construction drawings and legal records, which also helps foster a more collaborative approach to working.
In line with latest Government policy we have established Employee Forums throughout the business with the aim of continuously improving communication.
Health and Safety
The provision of a safe working environment is a fundamental responsibility and a key element of our overall Group strategy. Over recent years we, and the industry, have improved standards and structures and continue to set challenging targets. We have dedicated in-house teams who are involved in Health and Safety planning for new projects and in the monitoring of performance thereafter against the required standards. Sites and projects are audited regularly against internal targets and externally against Accident Frequency Rates (AFRs) for our sector peer groups. In both Construction and Homes our AFRs are amongst the lowest in the industry. However, more work needs to be done and this has been targeted as a priority area for continued improvement.
Training and Development
We place great emphasis on the training and development of our staff and have created a modern and integrated approach which addresses individual development and succession planning as well as performance review, annual appraisals and Personal Development Plans. We are heavily committed to the development of a future stream of skilled personnel, as evidenced by our approach to undergraduate sponsorship, a structured two-year graduate development programme and significant support for staff pursuing further and higher education qualifications.
We have a well-supported apprentice training commitment and actively encourage individuals at all levels of the organisation to enhance their skills and expertise by means of day-release and part-time study. We currently have 49 staff going through the graduate development and apprentice training programmes.
In Housing, nearly 50% of site management staff have achieved National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) or Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) status.
