Creating and sustaining greener environments for all

Delivering meaningful action for people, nature and planet.  

In 2024, Clarion Housing Group released their Nature Recovery Strategy, one of a number of plans supporting the Group Sustainability Strategy.  

As the UK’s largest social landlord, Clarion recognised the opportunity to make a tangible difference both to biodiversity and to the 350,000 plus people nationwide who call a Clarion home their own. With an ambitious strategy, brought to life by a dedicated sustainability team, Clarion are working tirelessly to ensure its vision is translated into meaningful action.  

When we had the opportunity to sit down and learn more from Miles Lewis, Clarion’s Director of Sustainability, recently, we couldn’t resist the chance to dive into the drivers of the strategy, the collaborative and inclusive approach taken by the organisation and Miles’ top learnings from the process.  

Taking a Strategic Approach 

When Miles joined Clarion, he was tasked with developing a comprehensive sustainability strategy that would address multiple environmental and social challenges. "We needed a strategy that tackled the polycrisis we face today - biodiversity loss, climate change, the housing crisis, and cost of living challenges," he explains. 

Clarion's approach to nature recovery needed to work at a group level, and with consideration for both their new developments and existing communities. "It was important that our strategy wasn't just about compliance with regulations like Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), we wanted it to be aspirational, about creating a meaningful, long-term impact across all of our housing stock," Miles says. 

A key example of this aspirational approach is Clarion’s commitment to exceed statutory BNG requirements, recognising that the minimum 10% mandated uplift alone does not go far enough to deliver true nature recovery. Instead, the group is targeting a 20% uplift across new developments, alongside a 10% voluntary uplift on up to five existing Clarion communities per year. This proactive, ambitious approach highlights Clarion’s determination to deliver nature recovery on a scale that genuinely supports biodiversity and sets a benchmark for the sector. 

Engaging Teams and Residents for Inclusive Impact 

A key part of Clarion's approach has been their commitment to inclusivity, ensuring that teams and residents all had a voice throughout the process. "We spent significant time engaging with colleagues across the business, from estates management to development teams, to understand what works and what doesn't," says Miles. “The sustainability team has been instrumental in delivering this strategy on the ground, working closely with housing teams to embed nature recovery goals across the organisation.”  

This internal collaboration has helped Clarion to shape a strategy flexible enough to be implemented across the country – with their locations spanning over 150 local authorities. "We knew we could never create a strategy which was too prescriptive, we needed to create a framework and a hierarchy, set performance targets, and set out our way of doing things and ultimately, create an understanding of the reasons for our approach.” 

Beyond internal engagement, resident participation has been a cornerstone of their process. Clarion has hosted community events to gather feedback and involve residents in shaping their local green spaces. "Residents know their spaces better than anyone else, and their input is invaluable in ensuring our interventions are both effective and valued," Miles notes. 

Moving from Strategy to Action 

While developing a strategy is crucial, Clarion's focus has always been on delivering tangible results. "Our priority was to move from planning to action swiftly," Miles says. The strategy includes clear commitments, such as delivering net biodiversity gain on up to five existing sites per year, with structured pilot projects to test and refine their approach. 

"We've already initiated three pilot projects where we're collaborating with existing teams - estates, grounds maintenance, housing representatives and sustainability teams - to baseline current conditions, engage residents, and implement meaningful enhancements," he explains. These pilot projects have firm deadlines and accountability measures in place to ensure progress. Collaborative efforts have been led by the sustainability team who have ensured that ambitious plans translate into the practical actions needed to benefit both residents and the environment.  

Lessons Learned and Advice for Others 

Reflecting on the journey so far, Miles highlights the importance of listening and adapting. "One of the key things we've learned is that people need to feel heard. Our early engagement sessions surfaced a lot of pain points, and acknowledging those has been crucial in driving buy-in." 

His top tip for others looking to embark on a similar journey? "Understand your stakeholders' motivations and communicate the 'why' effectively. Whether it's compliance, climate resilience, or community well-being, different teams will connect with different aspects of the strategy." 

Looking Ahead 

Clarion's next steps include sharing their learnings with peers across the housing sector. "We believe in open collaboration. If you're starting out on your journey, come and talk to us - we can share what we've learned, both the successes and the challenges." 

As they continue to build on their Nature Recovery Strategy, Clarion remains focused on action, ensuring that their commitment to nature translates into real-world improvements for people, wildlife, and the planet. The sustainability team’s commitment to collaboration and driving this action will remain at the heart of successful delivery.  

5 Top Learnings from Clarion’s Nature Recovery Strategy 

1. Engagement is key. Take the time to listen to teams, residents and the wider community. It will help build a strategy that resonates with everyone involved. 
2. Be flexible. Create a framework that can adapt across different locations and teams. 
3. Don’t aim for perfection. Be willing to learn and iterate rather than delaying progress in pursuit of the perfect finished plan. 
4. Set clear, actionable goals. This keeps things moving and ensures accountability. 
5. Collaboration is crucial. Understand the different priorities across departments to align objectives and ensure success across the organisation. 

And a bonus tip from us…6.  Start today! There’s never going to be a perfect time to begin, so start today. Our mission at The Green Partnership is to work with you to create and sustain greener environments for all. Get in touch if you’d like our expertise and insights to help you deliver built and natural landscapes where people, nature and our planet thrive. 

Stay tuned for more updates from Clarion Housing Group as they continue to lead the way in nature recovery within the housing sector.