Giving back to the community

Wates Residential leaves a positive lasting legacy in the communities where it operates through its drive for local procurement, creation of local employment opportunities such as apprenticeships and work placements, school curriculum support and courses for long-term unemployed adults.

£25.5m

invested in social value

£157,262

spent with social enterprises

Over 2,400 hours

invested in volunteering in the local community

work experience placements

apprenticeships

Wates Residential is one of the UK’s leading developers, operating across London and the South. The business works with local authority and housing association partners to build more and better homes. This is driven by the team’s shared vision that everyone deserves a great place to live.

The business applies a special type of regeneration to the areas that it develops. This is focused on adding social and environmental value beyond building homes. Every development is bespoke to the needs of the local community and involves meaningful consultation with local stakeholders to support the development of long-term sustainable communities.

Project impact reports

Find out more about the social value created on some of Wates Residential’s recent schemes. Every project has a dedicated community investment plan that sets out commitments for the project which are managed and measured by the business’ community investment team.

ABBEY AREA ONE PROGRESS REPORT

Key highlights:

£3.9M overall social value added
£61K spent with social enterprises
£24K donated to local causes

ABBEY AREA ONE

DAEDALUS VILLAGE PROGRESS REPORT

Key highlights in first year:

£117K investment training local people
209 hours invested in volunteering
£36K invested into local charities and community causes

DAEDALUS VILLAGE

ERITH PARK PROGRESS REPORT

Key highlights:

£59K overall social value added
£66K donated to support local good causes
14 apprentices supported

Erith Park

Latest news

National social value award win for Wates Group

24 FEBRUARY 2021

Wates Group has received a prestigious award at the 2021 National Social Value Awards winning the ‘Private Sector Leadership’ category.

BLOG: Creating a Social Value showcase on each and every project

BLOG

Su Pickerill, Group Community Investment Manager – Creating a Social Value showcase on each and every project.

Harrow pupils to receive new children’s book promoting careers in the construction industry

1 DECEMBER 2020

Primary school pupils in Harrow are among the first to receive a unique new children’s book designed to inspire them to work in the construction industry.

Social value is the key to Covid recovery

BLOG

Has social value lost its force amidst the global pandemic? Wates Group’s Community Investment Manager, Su Pickerill, explains why creating opportunities has never been more important…

Creating Opportunities: Wates launches five-year social value strategy with Group-wide commitment to real Living Wage

12 NOVEMBER 2020

The Wates Group has signalled its continued commitment to social value announcing that every one of its business units will achieve Living Wage Recognised Service Provider (RSP) status within five years.

In-Site: Virtual site tours

VIDEO

We are committed to raising awareness about the built environment sector and to encouraging young people, career changers and those who face barriers to employment to take a closer look at the roles required to create the places of tomorrow.

These virtual tours provide an insight to some of our projects and the people that make them happen.

Wates Virtual Insight Day

EVENT

We held our first Virtual Insight Day on the 5 November for people to find out more about careers in the construction industry.

Wates and Planet First Energy

8 OCTOBER 2020

The Wates Group and Planet First partnership has made great strides over the past 12 months, delivering fantastic benefits in terms of commercial, environmental and social value.

Cardiff Foodbank to benefit from £5,000 Wates Giving grant

08 JUNE 2020

Wates Residential helps secure funding for vital community foodbank service as demand increases due to Covid-19

Wates hosts Buildforce Armed Forces insight day

10 MARCH 2020

Armed Forces personnel have been given a kick-start in careers with the construction industry as part of the Wates Groups pledge to support veterans and ex-service leavers in partnership with Buildforce.

Wates pledges support for armed forces

18 FEBRUARY 2020

The Wates Group has strengthened its support for the military by signing BuildForces Veteran Alliance Charter, designed to support ex-service personnel into sustainable employment in the construction industry.

Regeneration project helps residents back into work

30 JANUARY 2020

Havering Volunteer Centres Stepping Stones Lunch and Learn programme has celebrated a hugely successful year, with over half of its attendees now in full-time employment.

A career in the built environment: There's something for everyone.

During National Apprenticeship Week (3-9 February), we want to highlight the wide range of job opportunities available in the built environment. Hear from some of our apprentices and trainees who are helping to break down the common myths about apprenticeships in construction.

More local businesses set to benefit from boroughs biggest regeneration project

24 JANUARY 2020

Havering Council and Wates Residential call for local businesses to be part of their ambitious programme to deliver 3,500 high quality homes for local people over the next 12 to 15 years.

Ex-offenders given second chance through new construction employment programme

24 JANUARY 2020

A ground-breaking new scheme which offers prisoners paid work on construction sites is helping individuals return to the community and reduce reoffending.

Bringing festive cheer to our most vulnerable residents

23 DECEMBER 2019

Christmas is a time for families to come together and celebrate, but it is important to remember those who are less fortunate. The Havering Council and Wates Residential joint venture has set out to bring seasonal cheer to the most vulnerable residents in the borough, through a series of festive events and activities.

Building future careers through Havering regeneration scheme

30 DECEMBER 2019

Young unemployed adults in Havering have been given specialist training to help boost their employment prospects through the boroughs biggest regeneration project.

Wates Residential supports homeless in Gosport as winter freeze sets in

12 DECEMBER 2019

An incredible £500 has been donated to support Hostel 101 by national developer Wates Residential and its partners at the nearby Daedalus Village housing development, Rund and MD Developments. This will be used to purchase essential items for homeless people in Gosport this winter including water bottles, hygiene products, hats and gloves.

Wates underlines position as Social Enterprise market leader

06 DECEMBER 2019

Wates has announced it has surpassed its target of spending £20m through SEs in its supply chain, a goal set four years ago.

Wates puts Planet First

04 DECEMBER 2019

New Social Enterprise helps in battle to cut carbon emissions. Wates is the first in the built environment sector to appoint an independent Social Enterprise – Planet First Energy (PFE) – to help it reduce CO2 emissions and meet long-term sustainability goals.

Seeking gender balance: culture change

WATES IN THE NEWS

Nikunj Upadhyay, Head of Diversity and Inclusion, was interviewed about how company culture, flexible working and the right environment can be a catalyst for change.

BLOG: Why the rise in absenteeism due to poor mental health is a positive thing

In this blog, John Dunne, Group Safety Health Environment and Quality Director at Wates, outlines why he believes the rise in reported absenteeism due to poor mental health is a positive thing.

INSIGHT: Response to consultation on the recruitment and retention of women into construction

Read our response to Inquiry by All Party Parliamentary Group for Excellence in the Built Environment

Time well spent for volunteers in Brent

Wates volunteers spruce up community spaces across Brent for it’s Community and Conservation Week.

PopUp Business School success as Havering residents graduate

More than 80 Havering residents took park in a free training course, providing participants with the support and tools to start a business of their own.

Havering residents urged to get involved in free Pop-Up Business School

Havering Council is working in partnership with Wates Residential to deliver one of the capitals biggest regeneration projects over the next 12-15 years.

2019 Community and Conservation Week

CAMPAIGN

Community and Conservation Week is an annual event providing opportunities for our people to access paid volunteering leave of up to 16 hours per year to support local projects across the country.