Green & Sustainable projects and investments

Reducing our collective environmental footprint and working towards the principals of the circular economy are underpinning themes for the London Riverside BID in the fourth term. Government policy, technology and supply chains are changing at an accelerated rate and we see our role as communicating good practice and bringing to our Members latest thinking, resources and support.

Objective

Help firms gain insight into the ongoing relevance of sustainable business practices and making progress towards net zero. Increasingly build sustainability into our investments and management of the physical environment.

Click here to see all of our Green & Sustainable projects

Forecast Investment to date:

£125,000 (including external grants)

Core activities

The BID's activities are primarily around two areas:

identifying support and funding to help Members achieve their sustainability goals, ensure climate resilience and exploit market opportunities;
responsible stewardship of the natural environment that surrounds us.

Towards the endo of the third term we secured over £500,000 of Good Growth Funding from the GLA to introduce several improvements to amenities and the physical environment. These included greening of the gateway roundabouts and a public amenity at the southern end of Ferry Lane to provide a usable outdoor space for staff to take breaks and enjoy nature.

A small plot of land adjacent to the River Thames has been transformed for public use, with community seating and better management of the land to protect the natural habitats and the rich mix of flora and fauna.

It will be available for everyone to enjoy, including walkers along the Thames Path, visitors to the RSPB Rainham Marshes and local communities.

Interventions will respect the wildlife already abundant in the area and encourage endangered local species such as the Shrill Carder Bee.

Additional priorities this term

Implement a tree planting programme to increase tree canopy cover where possible, which provides widespread environmental benefits;

Identify and bid for funding streams to finance further green and clean projects in the BID area, including EV charging and retrofitting of buildings;

Collaborate with Havering Council, the GLA and relevant stakeholders to support businesses in their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint, convert to cleaner fuels and bring new products to market;

Identify and introduce business support programmes that help prepare business owners to make appropriate sustainable business decisions and investments. For example, in areas such as:

reducing energy consumption and switching to greener fuels
Technology and automation
Data management
waste management and recycling
Sustainable product and service design
Meeting future compliance and legal requirements

Olga Astaniotis, Strategic Manager, London Riverside BID

'We are part of one of the most climate aware cities in the world; a place with clear ambitions to achieve net zero by 2030. The businesses that evolve and succeed in this environment will be those that take advantage of the supply chains that will emerge and whose business models follow principles of sustainability. We will do everything we can to help our Members along that path.'