Land-use change is an actual impact that is linked to our developments. We started tracking the footprint of our projects in 2022.

Given our landbank of more than 1,000,000 m², land-use and soil sealing is a relevant metrics for our business.

The total land-use might vary from year to year, depending on the type of projects, especially whether we developed logistical buildings in the given year.

For our residential developments, we prefer to build in height, limiting the footprint of the building, giving more space to nature.

Many of our current and coming developments are renovations and reconversions, which reduces the additional landuse.

We strive to de-pave surfaces where the context of the developments allows to do so and to enhance the existing nature.

We mapped whether any of our locations are close or in a Key biodiversity areas (KBA).

This comprises our offices and production facilities that we own or lease as well as the grounds that C-living – our project developer- owns for eventual development.

We defined “near” as 250m away from the area.

Further we mapped whether any of these locations are having a negative effect on biodiversity in these KBAs. This overview is based on feedback we received from the companies, linked to advice from the respective national environmental agencies. This overview is created as thoroughly as possible and to the best of our knowledge.

In Belgium several of our offices are located close to the KBA “Durme en Middenloop van de Schelde”. In Temse, these are the offices of Imtech, NLT-Pivaco and the Vita swimming facility. In Dendermonde it’s the office of Follaets Painting. Given from what we know, there is no negative impact.

Our HQ in Temse is partly located in this KBA. As the Agency for Nature and Forest (Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos” has issued a positive assessment for our site regarding its impact on biodiversity, there is no negative impact either.

We own grounds on five locations of (future) developments that are located close to various KBAs, mostly in the province of Limburg. As four of these projects are currently under construction, we conclude that these areas are not negatively affected by Cordeel. Otherwise the Flemish environmental agency would not have granted a positive advice and the construction process would not have started. For one of our future developments the masterplanning phase is currently ongoing, where we work together with an ecologist to make sure that there will be no negative impact on the Key Biodiversity Area it’s located close to.

In the Netherlands, two office buildings (Terneuzen & Vlissingen) are close to the Westerschelde as is the development of residential units in Cadzand. As there hasn’t been a negative advice by the Dutch environmental authorities, we conclude that these areas are not negatively affected by Cordeel.

The headquarter of C-Serbia is located in Belgrade, close to a confirmed KBA. Yet the impact on it is little to non-existing as it’s only a small office building with no direct access to the area.

To conclude, there are not locations that we own, lease or manage that are negatively effecting a Key Biodiversity Area they are located in or close-by.

E4, SBM-3, DP 16a, 16 a i, 16 a ii || E4, IRO-1, DP 19a || E4, E4-5, DP 35

Currently, we’re building the first energy hill as a pilot case in Temse on the location of our headquarter.

We are constructing a green hill with an altitude of 21 metres, with a water basin placed on top of that hill. The interconnected basins – on top of the hill and at the bottom – form a closed circuit. Excessive renewable energy or imbalances on the electricity grid, are used to pump up water and store it in the basin on top of the hill as potential energy. This energy can be converted into hydroelectricity as needed.

The final design of each hill is adapted to fit in with the local fauna and flora, creating an integrated ecological habitat that blends in perfectly with its surroundings.

The area is located in a Key Biodiversity Area and next to a Natura 2000 area.

We underwent in-depth studies on the possible impact of the energy hill, how we can mitigate these impacts and actually improve biodiversity. In collaboration with a ecologist we got an overview of the wildlife living and breeding in the area. These comprise quails, bluethroats, sand martin and several bats.

The ecologist created a biological design of the types of plants and habitats that should be located on the hill.

The area used to be a dumpsite of the former shipyard “Boelwerf” which is way we remediated the grounds before the start of the works.

Thanks to these efforts the Agency of Nature and Forest (“Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos”) concluded that building the hill in the way we explained will improve the biodiversity.