sustainability

At Darwin, we are committed to ensuring that a focus on Environmental, Social and Governance best practice underpins everything we do. Our Stewardship Report sets out how we achieve this.
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Environmental considerations are at the forefront of our ongoing park operations and wherever we carry out redevelopment work. We aim to ensure that our buildings and accommodation are as energy efficient as possible, our park environments are managed in harmony with the local environment and that waste management is efficient and utilises recycling where possible.

Environmental Aims

Environmental Targets

Create sites which enhance local environments.
Create sites which enhance local ecology.
Utilise designs which minimise operational carbon footprints.
Ensure energy usage is as efficient as possible.
Ensure minimisation of embedded carbon costs in Darwin’s supply chain.

Continue to demonstrate and report our ESG progress as the funds develop over the short, medium and long term.
Actively work to reduce emissions, waste and energy use, where applicable, on all sites.
Increase ESG due diligence to ensure that suppliers, contractors, corporate partners& stakeholders are aligned with our principles.
Increase measurement of emissions, waste and energy usage where appropriate, with the aim of analysing and initiating required changes over the next 5 years.
Achieve a Biodiversity Net Gain when undertaking any development work.

Environmental Building Practices in Action

Across all of the Darwin Escapes holiday resorts, we incorporate a range of techniques and best practices to ensure that operations at all of our sites are as sustainable and environmentally responsible as possible. Environmental considerations are at the forefront of our park operations. We aim to ensure our resort environments are managed in harmony with the local environment and ecology, that waste management is efficient and recycling is utilised wherever possible.

Existing trees are retained wherever possible and Native Woodland Planting increases the tree population.

Grass is cut less frequently to help create a more natural environment managed with ecology in mind.

SMART Electricity meters have been installed in accommodation across our parks.

Wherever possible, rain water is harvested and used for landscape irrigation.

Electric buggies are used where possible to reduce emissions and cut down on noise pollution.

Animal habitats such as duck houses and squirrel boxes have been introduced.

Pruning and cutting back of trees and bushes takes place at specific times of the year to support wildlife breeding.

Year round litter picking keeps the resorts as clean as possible and remove any hazards to wildlife.

Native Planting Enhancement through hedge planting and wildflower meadows enable wildlife populations to increase.

Operational Environmental Practices in Action

Within new developments, we have introduced a wide range of high quality green technology within the design of central facilities buildings, in order to reduce carbon emissions, reduce waste and reduce the amount of energy needed to operate.

Combined Heat & Power (CHP) – where the boiler also incorporates a motor that generates electricity which is then fed back into the mains.

Building Management System (BMS) is included to monitor all of the individual mechanical systems within the building and register/record energy usage.

Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP), acting like a reverse fridge, cool the outside and use the heat generated to create warm water.

Low temperature under floor heating – using the hot water generated by the Air Source Heat Pumps to heat the floor screed.

High levels of insulation to minimise radiant heat loss and strict air tightness criteria to minimise convection heat loss.

Internal rooms have lighting controlled by PIR movement sensors and there is LED lighting throughout.

Photovoltaic Panels (PV) – Banks of panels are incorporated either on the main facilities or maintenance buildings to generate energy.

Swimming Pools and toilet extractors have heat exchangers on the supply/extract air to minimise heat loss.

Windcatchers are included to provide natural ventilation to deep plans spaces using the ‘stack effect’, allowing heat to escape during the day and fresh air to be introduced at night.

As part of the overall building management system the opening lights on windows are automatically controlled to provide fresh air to cool the building when required.

Green Roofs which provide natural insulation and act as a brake to surface water run-off, which assists the prevention of flash flooding and forms part of the sustainable drainage strategy.

Sustainable surface water drainage so that outfall water is retained on site in underground storage grids to allow natural percolation into the ground.