Located near Tallinn, Estonia, the £170m project is a carefully planned sustainable community that consists of infrastructure, energy and social provision to meet the needs of its residents and the businesses that choose to locate there.
The Oxford Sustainable Group has designed Oxford Park using its Oxford 360 degree Sustainability Index. This has allowed it to create a community in advance of UN Principles of Responsible Investment (PRI) norms for sustainability. This considers the broader requirements of the residents, surrounding economic, environmental, energy, educational, transport and leisure needs as well as long-term job creation, regeneration, finance and investment requirements. The Oxford Sustainable Group has shown by taking a holistic approach to sustainable development it can increase profitability while benefiting other stakeholders including residents, the local and wider economy, society and environment.
“Sustainability means a lot more than planning carbon neutral buildings or trendy underground transport systems,” said Hadley Barrett, chief executive of OSG (pictured). “We can only create truly sustainable communities if we consider all of the stakeholders in a project. That includes government, investors, and the entire supply chain – as well as the people who will live and work there – and be able to supply a sustainable product at the right price. True sustainability does not mean higher prices.
“We have a practical and down-to-earth approach for Oxford Park that is successful, sustainable and economically viable – investors do not need to turn to projects in the Middle East for green growth. We would like to replicate the planning success of Oxford Park in the UK but we need simplified regulation which allows ‘good developers’ to be fast-tracked rather than held back. We do not need more definitions of carbon free homes, we need facilitating regulation, which allows trusted partners to move quickly and effectively and bring about positive changes through entrepreneurship. Practical government agencies from Finland and other locations have been asking us to help them replicate the success of Oxford Park in their countries. Currently the UK is lagging behind.”
