Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
## **Bioregional Development Group**
**(a Company Limited by Guarantee and not having Share Capital)**
**Company Registration No. 02973226 Charity Registration No. 1041486**
**Report of the Trustees and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2025**
Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
Bioregional Development Group (A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having Share Capital)
|**Contents**|||
|---|---|---|
|**Report of the Trustees**|3||
|**Objects of the Charity**||3|
|**Our vision**||3|
|**Our strategic goals for 2030**||3|
|**Public benefit summary**||4|
|**Bioregional 2024-25 Impact Review**||4|
|**Management and Governance**||16|
|**Fundraising Policy**||16|
|**Financial Performance**||17|
|**Risk Management**||18|
|**Reserves policy and going concern**||18|
|**Statement of trustees’ responsibilities**||18|
|**Auditors**||19|
|**Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of Bioregional Development Group**20|||
|**Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities (incorporating an income and**|||
|**expenditure account) for the year ended 31 March 2025**|23||
|**Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2025**|26||
|**Legal and Administrative Information**|42||
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Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having Share Capital)
## Bioregional Development Group
## **Report of the Trustees**
The trustees are pleased to present their report for the year ended 31 March 2025 together with the consolidated financial statements of Bioregional Development Group. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out on pages 26 to 41 of the attached financial statements and comply with the charitable company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association, applicable laws and the requirements of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
The reference and administrative information set out on page 42 forms part of this report. The annual report also serves as a directors’ report for the purposes of company law.
## **Objects of the Charity**
The objects of Bioregional Development Group as set out in its governing document in the Memorandum and Articles of Association are:
_To advance education for the public benefit, in particular concerning the practice of sustainable living including the conduct of community life and economic activity, and to promote the preservation, conservation and restoration of the natural resources, animal and plant life, and habitats of the world._
## **Our vision**
Our vision is of a world where everyone can live happy and healthy lives with the limits of our planet’s resources, while leaving sufficient space for wildlife and wilderness. We call this One Planet Living.
## **Our strategic goals for 2030**
Bioregional will show, working with clients and partners, how one planet living can be achieved in our homes, communities, businesses, and town centres. We will use practical examples of our work to change policy and practice – both in the UK and internationally through the UN Sustainable Development Goals network, to help avert the climate and ecological emergency and achieve the SDGs by 2030.
We aim to:
Drive exemplary business practice: we will help businesses to measure and reduce their carbon footprints in line with science-based targets, set ambitious strategies that enable sustainable consumption and production, and play an active role in regenerating the natural ecosystems upon which we all depend.
Create sustainable homes and communities: we will support housebuilders, property owners, and local authorities to enable the next generation of net-zero, affordable, biodiversity-positive homes to be built; support local authorities to create and implement net-zero carbon planning policies and sustainable high streets; and work with asset owners to sustainably retrofit homes.
Influence policy and industry practice: we will work with our partners and stakeholder groups, sharing knowledge of the practical and inspiring solutions we have developed with partners to influence government policy and industry practice in the built environment, sustainable production and consumption, and corporate sustainability strategies.
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Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having Share Capital)
## Bioregional Development Group
## **Public benefit summary**
Bioregional has championed sustainable living for 30 years. We support organisations to transition to a net-zero carbon, circular, and sustainable future, and work with partners to create homes, workplaces and communities that enable one-planet living.
We believe that by partnering with ambitious businesses, property developers, asset owners, and local communities, we can create the right conditions for people to prosper while living within the Earth’s means.
We have reviewed the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit and have detailed in this report our main areas of charitable activity.
All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefit from the charity. Any expenses reclaimed from the charity are set out in note 7 to the financial statements.
## **Bioregional 2024-25 Impact Review**
## **Chief Executive’s foreword**
2024 was a landmark year for Bioregional: the organisation I co-founded back in 1994 turned 30. We marked the occasion with a gathering of peers, clients and friends – and used it as an opportunity to look ahead to 2030 and beyond.
In the past year, our team continued to support businesses, the built environment sector, local and national governments, NGOs and intergovernmental organisations, to all play their part in tackling the climate and ecological emergency.
Highlights include continuing our transformational work with Kingfisher plc which saw it smashing its emission-reduction targets; launching a brand-new tool to help local authorities make planning decisions in line with the UK’s net-zero goals; and publishing a major new free resource: One Planet Living Goals and Guidance for new-build communities in the UK.
We were delighted to win Consultancy of the Year at the UK Green Business Awards: a fantastic achievement for our whole team.
We’re proud of our rich 30-year history of innovation and implementing cutting-edge ideas. Following in that tradition, in November 2024 we started trialling a nine-day fortnight as part of the UK’s second reduced working hours pilot.
After a positive six-month trial, where we met the same revenue targets as the previous year and received overwhelmingly positive staff feedback, we have decided to extend the trial for another six months.
Looking ahead, the challenges we face are immense – but so is our capacity for positive change. Every day, my amazing colleagues and our ambitious clients give me renewed conviction that we can create communities where people and nature thrive, within the limits of our one precious planet.
Sue Riddlestone OBE Chief Executive and co-founder, Bioregional
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(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having Share Capital)
## Bioregional Development Group
## **Collaborating to create wider change**
## **Calling for a better built environment**
Building on last year’s campaign that brought together 205 industry leaders including Good Homes Alliance, LETI and UKGBC, this year we continued to lead calls for an improved Future Homes Standard. We secured a meeting with Baroness Taylor, the new Parliamentary UnderSecretary of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, to discuss our concerns, following up with a letter clarifying our points and requesting a formal response. We offered to support the Government on its target of building 1.5 million new homes, to ensure they are truly sustainable.
We also joined forces with industry leaders to call for the Government to make the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) fit for purpose, to bring England's planning system to a place where it can effectively address the scale and urgency of the climate crisis.
_“Climate change is the greatest long-term challenge facing the world today. Addressing climate change is therefore the principal concern for sustainable development.” -_ Our joint statement on the NPPF
We used our platform at Futurebuild to amplify our message that in a climate emergency, we need to go further and faster on housing standards, and to highlight some solutions, including building with bio-based and circular materials.
## **Corporate sustainability consultancy**
Our consultancy work continues to focus on businesses in the retail and food and beverage sectors, as well as the engineering, construction, and property sectors.
Last year we supported **40 organisations** to develop and deliver their sustainability strategies, sustainable product guidelines, carbon footprinting, and net-zero roadmaps. These businesses collectively employ over **120,000 people** , with a combined total turnover of over **£17bn** .
## **Helping Kingfisher plc redefine sustainable home-improvement retail**
For 14 years we have supported leading home-improvement group Kingfisher plc to redefine sustainable home-improvement retail. Our partnership has seen us work extensively with the company and its different brands, from supporting on carbon-reduction targets, to helping develop more sustainable retail products, enabling thousands of people to live more sustainably in their homes. Key progress in the last year has been:
- **Net-zero strategy** – we supported the development and monitoring of Kingfisher’s science-based carbon-reduction targets across property and logistics. In 2023-24, **Kingfisher reduced its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 66%** compared to its baseline year of 2016, significantly outperforming its target of 37.8%.
- **Reporting** – we supported Kingfisher to:
- prepare for the forthcoming Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, which mandates companies to disclose their ESG impacts
- report its sustainability performance data to CDP, which aims to promote transparency in environmental reporting. Kingfisher has maintained an impressive CDP Climate Change ranking of A- and a Forests ranking of B, despite increasingly stringent reporting standards
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## Bioregional Development Group
- provide detailed sustainability information to the ESG disclosure platform Ecovadis, and information on workforce practices and issues to the Workforce Disclosure Initiative
- **Sustainable products** – we provided technical support to drive improvements across Kingfisher’s range of more than 100,000 products that are designed for sustainability – either because they are made from more environmentally friendly materials, or because they help people live more sustainably at home:
- A record **53.4% of all products sold** (FY 2023-4: 49%) helped Kingfisher’s customers create greener, healthier homes this year and generated more than **£6 bn in sales** .
- In another record, **63% of Kingfisher own-brand products** now come from the Sustainable Home Product range (FY 2023/24: 60%).
- All Kingfisher brands are also demonstrating exemplary performance in sustainable wood sourcing: this year, **98% of wood and paper** was sustainably sourced.
## **Supporting The Portman Estate on its mission to net zero**
The Portman Estate in west London comprises 110 acres of prime commercial, retail, and residential space. After we helped it develop its first Sustainability Action Plan using our One Planet Living framework in 2022, this year we were asked to help the Estate set ambitious carbon-reduction targets to refocus its commitment to decarbonising its buildings and operations.
Building on our previous work to measure the Estate’s carbon footprint, we worked with its sustainability committee to develop a robust set of science-based targets to ensure it reduces its emissions in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement. We modelled different decarbonisation scenarios to give the Estate confidence that its targets were achievable, including reaching net zero by 2045.
We also secured the Estate’s agreement to develop dedicated science-based targets for its rural activities, which include livestock and forests in Buckinghamshire and Hereford. We supported The Portman Estate during the SBTi validation period, which included answering detailed queries on our emissions calculations, and we were delighted when the targets were approved by SBTi in May 2025. We are now developing a revised strategy and action plan for the Estate running to 2028.
## **A comprehensive carbon footprint analysis for Aldersgate Group**
Aldersgate Group is a multi-stakeholder alliance of businesses, NGOs, and professional and academic institutes championing a prosperous, net-zero emissions, environmentally sustainable economy.
We were commissioned to calculate the carbon footprint of its Secretariat for the financial year 2023/24. Our collaborative approach included:
- Reviewing the Group’s existing emissions assessment
- Providing guidance and templates on data collection
- Engaging directly with the co-working space where Aldersgate Group is located to access critical office utilities data
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Bioregional Development Group
(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having Share Capital)
- Performing emissions calculations following internationally recognised frameworks
- • Presenting our assessment results visually, highlighting emissions hotspots and comparing them with the findings of previous assessments
Now equipped with a detailed understanding of its carbon footprint, Aldersgate Group can make more informed decisions on where it should focus its carbon-cutting efforts.
_“Bioregional’s rigorous and collaborative approach gave us a robust carbon footprint baseline that we can confidently use to guide our net-zero strategy. Their expertise helped us overcome data challenges and pinpoint emissions hotspots, enabling more informed and effective action. The strength of their methodology meant we chose their assessment as the foundation for our forward-looking sustainability strategy.”_
- Rachel Solomon Williams, Executive Director, Aldersgate Group
## **Assessing the suitability of recycled plastic as a building material**
Kenya and other African countries are experiencing construction booms, with significant environmental impacts. Recycled plastic shows potential as a sustainable building material, but limited safety testing data exists. The non-profit housing organisation Habitat for Humanity asked us to organise and deliver a test programme to assess its safety and suitability.
We engaged Kenyatta and Egerton Universities and the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) as key testing partners and identified a set of tests for them to carry out. These included:
- **Chemical testing** : assessing both the materials being used and the recycled plastic feedstock that might go into the materials, as well as any additives that might leach out
- • **Fire testing** : carrying out standardised tests and additional analysis, including assessing ignitability, smoke toxicity and burning behaviour
- **Factory air-quality analysis** : to ensure the manufacturing process was safe for workers
- **Ageing and weathering testing** : simulating the accelerated aging of the materials, given the product types are so new
After analysing the test results with the universities, we presented Habitat with a rich assessment of the safety and suitability of different building products. Some performed better than others in the fire and chemical tests.
Habitat is now able to make informed decisions about using recycled plastic as sustainable construction material, and about how to choose between different suppliers for its housing projects.
## **A double materiality assessment for Woodland Group**
The global supply chain and logistics firm Woodland Group is keen to ensure that its sustainability efforts are targeted to have the greatest impact. This year it asked us to carry out a double materiality assessment to build a rich understanding of:
- where the Group's operations impact on society and the environment
- the external risks and opportunities that affect the business now, and will do so in the future
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Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having Share Capital)
## Bioregional Development Group
Through purposeful stakeholder engagement we developed a materiality matrix for Woodland Group that illustrated the most important impacts, risks and opportunities for the business to concentrate on.
From this, we developed our key recommendations. These included establishing science-based decarbonisation targets; mapping its impact on nature further in order to focus efforts where they are most needed, as well as increasing circularity in resource use and improving wellbeing.
We also recommended how the Group can go even further to collaborate with relevant NGOs and other partners, to better understand the root causes of any issues and to increase visibility throughout the supply chain.
We are confident that it is now well positioned to achieve its impressive sustainability ambitions and effectively respond to future risks and opportunities.
_"Bioregional's expertise has been crucial in helping Woodland Group to really focus our sustainability efforts. Thanks to Bioregional, we're not only better positioned to meet the challenges of a changing world, but we're also strengthening our position as a leader in sustainable practices within our industry."_
- Sam Warren, Sustainability Manager, Woodland Group
## **A free net-zero guide for SMEs**
This year we launched our new ‘Net zero for SMEs: an action-led guide.’ We produced it recognising that:
- the transition to a net-zero economy is no longer a distant prospect: it’s happening now
- many small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are unclear about the steps they need to take, and how their businesses can benefit
Our comprehensive guide addresses the opportunities and challenges SMEs face during this crucial transition. Beyond highlighting how the climate crisis presents opportunities to innovate and reduce costs, it sets out a practical roadmap for net-zero action. The guide complements our existing carbon accounting and net-zero support services for businesses, as well as our allin-one carbon accounting toolkit for SMEs.
## **Sustainable built environment**
This year our team of sustainable built environment consultants supported local authorities to develop policies and strategies to respond to the climate and ecological emergency, helped developers create sector-leading sustainability frameworks and created net-zero pathways for a range of organisations.
We:
- worked with nearly **30 local authorities** on their planning and policy work. This work will help deliver approximately **19,000 sustainable homes every year** as part of local authority growth plans.
- supported 4 developers across 6 schemes that are set to deliver **nearly 5,000 sustainable homes** , nearly **1,500 of which will be affordable** , as well as over **350,000m2 of sustainable commercial space** .
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Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having Share Capital)
## Bioregional Development Group
## **Launching a new Net-Zero Spatial Planning Tool for local authorities**
Local authorities face major challenges in identifying effective low-carbon growth options while balancing location, housing density and environmental planning policies, and ensuring local services meet the needs of a growing population.
Our Net-zero Spatial Planning Tool, officially launched in February 2025, helps local authorities make smart, data-driven decisions about how to align new housing and infrastructure development with the UK’s net-zero goals.
By harnessing national and local datasets, GIS and robust evidence, the Tool accurately models carbon emissions from new developments, including embodied, operational and transport emissions.
Building on a previous iteration of this Tool, with Innovate UK funding and a new partnership with Space Syntax, our updated version includes more advanced transport emissions modelling and enhanced user experience, along with improved scenario-testing capabilities.
This year we have worked with Cotswold District Council, West Oxfordshire District Council and Forest of Dean, which have all helped shape the Tool's features and improve usability. We are also in discussion with other local authorities keen to explore its potential for modelling carbon emissions and other environmental impacts like flood risk and biodiversity.
_“Bioregional’s tool allows us to quantify carbon impacts more accurately – and this helps us draw stronger conclusions about environmental outcomes of our plan options. The reports generated will form a vital part of the evidence base supporting the Local Plan.”_
- Andrew Thomson, Planning Policy Manager, West Oxfordshire District Council
## **Our research indicates that net-zero targets need not hinder housebuilding**
The local authorities of Bath & North East Somerset, Cornwall, and Central Lincolnshire all have Local Plan policies that use best practice absolute energy metrics: energy use intensity (the total energy a building consumes) and space heating demand (units of heat required to comfortably heat a building).
This year we investigated the impact of these Local Plan policies on the supply of new homes, with promising results. Our research found that in both Bath & North East Somerset and Cornwall, planning applications for new housing increased after the policies were introduced. This indicates that the policies have not adversely affected housing supply, and may even improve the viability of schemes with higher energy-efficiency standards.
The picture in Central Lincolnshire was more mixed, indicating that more research is needed for us to be confident about our preliminary findings. But they appear to show that energybased net-zero Local Plan policies need not be a barrier to delivering new homes at scale.
## **Supporting the Oxford to Cambridge Pan-Regional Partnership to renew its Environmental Principles**
The Oxford-Cambridge Pan-Regional Partnership was created in 2023 to establish the region as a world leader in innovation while achieving environmentally sustainable and inclusive growth.
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Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
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## Bioregional Development Group
This year we were appointed by Cherwell District Council to lead over 40 key stakeholders through a collaborative process to renew its environmental principles.
We organised stakeholders into five special-interest groups themed around each Principle: netzero carbon, nature and land, water, circular economy, and climate adaptation. Through a series of collaborative workshops, we encouraged stakeholders to raise their ambitions while ensuring all views were heard.
The published Environmental Principles were adopted by the pan-Regional Partnership’s Board in November 2024 and include stakeholder aspirations to achieve a range of targets. These include achieving net-zero carbon as a region by 2040, a growth of 270-329% in publicly accessible electric-vehicle charge points, and a biodiversity net gain of at least 20% in all new developments and infrastructure projects.
As such, they create a coherent and layered framework for regional action and multi-sectoral collaboration to ensure the regional growth agenda is underpinned by an environmentally progressive agenda.
## **Working with Muse and partners to create an industry-leading sustainable development framework**
We were commissioned by property developer Muse to help it update its existing Sustainable Development Framework (SDF). Our client was keen to align the framework with best practice across all aspects of sustainability, from net-zero carbon and biodiversity to social value and wellbeing.
Working alongside Syreeta Bayne, Head of Social Value and Sustainability at Muse, and other subject-matter experts WSP, Greengage and HATCH, we:
- project managed the overall project, including coordinating workshops, providing constructive feedback, and consolidating final outputs
- produced the outputs for the health and wellbeing theme, drawing on our expertise in holistic, people-focused sustainability
- updated the SDF Tracker, used by all Muse project teams to report against KPIs
Muse now has what we consider to be the industry's most ambitious holistic social impact and sustainability framework to date, ensuring that its future developments will meet the highest social impact, nature and sustainability standards in construction and operation.
_“Bioregional played a key role in helping us project manage and coordinate the creation of a truly industry-leading Sustainable Development Framework that aligns with the latest best practice across all areas of social impact, nature and sustainability. With their support, we now have a powerful, practical tool to drive social impact and sustainability across all our future developments.”_
- Syreeta Bayne, Head of Social Value and Sustainability, Muse
## **Creating a home energy retrofit guide for Surrey County Council**
Surrey County Council seeks to reduce the operational carbon emissions of housing by up to 66% by 2035. This year it commissioned us to create a practical home-retrofit guide for homeowners, landowners and tradespeople.
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Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
Bioregional Development Group (A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having Share Capital)
We first evaluated 504,000 homes to identify five distinct housing stock types, and then modelled whether each type was 'heat pump ready' or needed fabric upgrades first. We then developed comprehensive retrofit packages tailored to each housing type.
Now published, the guide provides:
- An engaging introduction highlighting the benefits of energy upgrades
- A step-by-step process with information on costs, savings, and risk management
- Clear explanations for each type of home on what it means to be 'heat-pump ready'
- Signposting to quality assurance resources and further guidance
## **Helping a Buddhist centre embed sustainability into its renovation project**
The Jamyang Buddhist Centre in Lambeth, south London, sought to transform into a space that better serves the community and environment.
We were appointed as sustainability champion for the renovation of the Grade II-listed building, and specifically to ensure that project design addressed all ten principles of our One Planet Living framework. We:
- conducted a Sustainability Gap Analysis using the One Planet Living framework
- led a workshop with the client and design team to discuss where the sustainability of the plans could be improved
- developed a Sustainability Tracker to monitor key commitments, ambitions and performance metrics throughout the detailed planning stage
- produced the Sustainability Statement for the planning application
Throughout the process we challenged the design team to raise its ambition. We identified opportunities to recover and reuse materials, encourage biodiversity, promote cycling and maximise renewable energy, as well as to increase water and energy efficiency – all while preserving the building's heritage.
The result was a detailed plan to ensure the Centre will provide a planet-friendly sanctuary for generations to come.
## **Developing a net-zero pathway for Bush Theatre**
Bush Theatre in west London approached us to develop a net-zero pathway for its building. As the theatre occupies the historic Passmore Edwards Public Library, a sensitive retrofit approach was essential. Our support covered:
- A holistic building performance evaluation using quantitative methods and qualitative feedback from staff and visitors
- Baseline energy modelling and retrofit pathway modelling to predict the impact of retrofit measures on future emissions and comfort
- Actionable retrofit recommendations considering location, timing, cost and funding opportunities
With work now underway, the theatre is installing 48 solar photovoltaic panels and a new point-of-use hot water system, providing a zero-carbon energy source and income stream while significantly reducing summer gas use. Bush Theatre plans to completely decarbonise its heating system by 2030, with an estimated annual saving of £6,200.
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Bioregional Development Group
(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having Share Capital)
_“The report Bioregional have developed for us will be invaluable in taking our sustainability efforts forward, securing more funding to facilitate its implementation and in understanding where we are on the journey.”_
- Angela Wachner, General Manager, Bush Theatre
## **One Planet Living: our sustainability framework**
## **One Planet Living in numbers**
Our One Planet Living sustainability framework comprises ten simple principles and detailed goals and guidance. Developed 22 years ago with WWF, it has always been free to use.
Over **350** organisations have now used One Planet Living to create a more sustainable world. They span six continents and **22** countries including Australia, Canada, Ireland, South Africa and USA, among them:
- **71** real-estate projects
- **86** businesses
- **38** city/regional districts
- **39** schools/education providers
A total of more than **7.3** million people are now living in or visiting communities or cities that have used One Planet Living.
This year we have:
- supported **six** One Planet Living projects to assess their sustainability progress and ambitions
- seen over **18,000** website sessions across our One Planet Living pages
- provided One Planet Living resources that were downloaded over **800 times**
## **Launching a comprehensive new guide to designing sustainable communities in the UK**
This year we published our latest free resource: One Planet Living Goals and guidance for newbuild communities in the UK.
Designed primarily for housing developers, this comprehensive guide offers a detailed pathway for developers to design projects that regenerate ecosystems, tackle the climate crisis and foster community wellbeing, while also enhancing value. The guide is timely, arriving just as the Government seeks to accelerate housebuilding.
The guide draws on our own rich experience as well as extensive collaboration with built environment leaders and experts, using our combined insights to ensure that the guidance is both robust and achievable.
_“One Planet Living is a key part of our approach to creating thriving, sustainable communities. Its flexibility allows us to set ambitious, site-specific goals while addressing every aspect of sustainability—not just carbon reduction—in a truly holistic way.”_
- Jon Di-Stefano, CEO of sustainable housebuilder, Greencore Homes
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Bioregional Development Group (A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having Share Capital)
## **Celebrating new One Planet Living Leaders**
One Planet Living Leaders are projects that represent the gold standard in sustainable placemaking. There are hundreds of One Planet Living projects around the world, but only the absolute best achieve the status of Leader or Global Leader. There are now 39 One Planet Living Leaders and Global Leaders.
This year we provided new Leadership recognition to the following:
## **Parkway House, Ottawa Korean Church, and The Evergreen on Blackburn: One Planet Living Global Leaders**
These three projects are some of the most sustainable new developments in North America. They are all part of the One Planet Living Real Estate Fund, in excellent locations, contributing to high- density urban renewal in Ottawa, with excellent transit links and active travel provision. They are all designed to achieve LEED Platinum and are aligned with the Ottawa High Performance Design Standard Tier 2. These projects will all be net-zero carbon with no combustion on site, excellent building fabric, geothermal energy supply and excellent water efficiency measures. They all have comprehensive, robust KPIs across all ten of the One Planet Living principles.
## **The River District: One Planet Living Leader**
The near Charlotte in North Carolina will be a 1,400-acre mixed-use, master-planned community that organically blends urban life with the allure of parks, trails, forests, river access and wide-open spaces. With the project team fully embracing the One Planet Living framework to create an ambitious and imaginative action plan, it’s only the third builtenvironment project in the USA and the first in the Southeast to achieve Leadership recognition, pioneering new approaches not previously seen in the Southern States.
## **Global Leaders continuing to innovate and maintain their statuses**
The 34-acre waterfront community of **Zibi** , in Ottawa, now being developed by Dream and with original master planning by Theia, was first recognised as a Global Leader in One Planet Living in 2015. It continues to demonstrate why it is one of the most sustainable new developments in the world.
We're also delighted to recognise **Windmill Development Group** of Companies as a Global Leader once again. The first business to ever achieve recognition as a One Planet Living Global Leader, this visionary real-estate group is focused on creating happy, healthy communities within the resources of our planet.
## **Embedding sustainability across our organisation**
## **Reporting Bioregional’s own carbon footprint**
Bioregional’s total emissions were 80.1 tCO2e in 2023-24, a fall of 50% from our 2018/19 baseline (160tCO2e). Scope 1 and 2 emissions fell by 89% since our baseline. This is mainly due to no longer using gas since moving offices in 2022 and switching to a less carbonintensive electricity tariff. This means **we’ve already achieved our target to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030** .
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(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having Share Capital)
## Bioregional Development Group
**Scope 3 emissions fell by 48%** , driven by an 88% fall in emissions from business travel to 4.1 tCO2e, which we achieved by limiting international travel. This reduction exceeded our target to reduce business travel emissions by 75% by 2030. We are now developing a travel policy to ensure our business travel emissions continue to track within our yearly reductions required to keep within this target. Within Scope 3, we have also seen a 98% reduction in emissions from waste generation since our baseline.
We have realigned our baseline emissions for purchased goods and services and capital goods to reflect our new methodology, which uses SWC MRIO emission factors. This realignment has uplifted our baseline year emissions by 19.7 tCO2e for purchased goods and services and 3.2 tCO2e for capital goods.
A key focus for the year ahead will be purchased goods and services, which accounted for 61.8tCO2e of emissions this year: approximately 77% of our total carbon footprint. We aim to reduce this through engagement with key suppliers, and by working with suppliers that have committed to science-based targets. We aim for 50% of our key suppliers (by emissions) to have science-based targets by 2025/26.
We have committed to:
• reduce our already low Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse-gas emissions – from property, and energy used for heating and lighting
We have also committed to reducing our Scope 3 emissions – indirect emissions from manufacturing, supply chains and company travel – even though the SBTi does not require SMEs to do so.
We will:
- require 50% of our key suppliers (measured by procurement emissions) to have science-based targets by 2025, and
- reduce our absolute emissions from business travel by 75% by 2030.
## **Making progress on our Nature Positive Pledge**
Bioregional is a signatory to The Nature Positive Pledge, a commitment by business to halt and reverse impacts on nature developed in 2023 by the UK Business and Biodiversity Forum.
As a signatory, our commitments include making efforts to understand and evaluate our impacts and dependencies on nature across our value chain; abiding by the principles of being nature positive; setting smart targets; reporting annually; and sharing our insights with others.
This year, after carrying out a materiality exercise and baseline assessment to understand where we can have most impact, we developed a set of SMART targets. These cover greenhouse-gas emissions, deforestation, dependency on natural resources, chemical use and micro plastics.
The next step will be to publish and communicate the results of the plan.
## **Fostering team wellbeing**
We know that ensuring the wellbeing of our employees is key to maximising our impact, and so in November 2024 we started trialling a nine-day fortnight as part of the UK’s second
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## Bioregional Development Group
(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having Share Capital)
reduced working hours pilot. Since then, every other Friday has been a non-working day for all Bioregional staff.
Previous pilots by other organisations demonstrate that shorter working weeks can boost productivity, efficiency, focus, and employee wellbeing – all of which will also result in better results for our clients.
The effectiveness of the trial will be assessed in collaboration with the pilot’s research partners. These comprise the 4-day week campaign group, flexible working experts Timewise, and researchers from the University of Sussex, Boston College, University of Cambridge and Autonomy Institute.
Having completed the first six months of our trial with promising results, we have decided to extend it for another six months. We expect to share our initial findings in June 2025.
## **Amplifying our impact**
## **Awards**
We were proud to win Consultancy of the Year at the 2024 UK Green Business Awards - one of the UK’s most prestigious green awards. The judges mentioned our mission-led approach, the breadth of our client base, and our ‘cutting-edge’ work supporting local authorities.
Our CEO and co-founder Sue Riddlestone OBE was also awarded ‘ESG icon’ at the inaugural Property Week ESG Edge awards, recognising her incredible work over the past 30 years.
## **Events and digital reach**
- We chaired two packed Futurebuild events and spoke at a two more, reaching over 500 attendees live
- We sponsored and spoke at Retail Gazette’s Sustainability Debate, reaching over 200 delegates
- We shared our practical insights and inspiring stories with more than 2,000 people at regional, national, and international events
- Our website received over 102,000 sessions
- Our free web resources were downloaded nearly 7,500 times
- Our launch webinar for our Net-zero Spatial Planning Tool had nearly 400 attendees
## **Our funders**
The trustees and staff would like to place on record their gratitude to all the organisations and individuals who continue to support the work of the charity. Our work would not be possible without the support of our partners and funders. Thank you.
## **Our clients in 2024/25**
A2Dominion, Acorns Children's Hospice, Activate Learning, AECOM, Aether, Aldersgate Group, Allegra Care, Alternative Theatre Company Ltd (Bush Theatre), Aviva Central Services UK Ltd, Baker Street Quarter Partnership, Baylands Development Inc., Beale and Co, Bellway Homes, Bioregional Australia, Bloom Procurement Services LTD, Biozone Scientific, Breckland Council, British Heart Foundation, Brodie Partners, Buckinghamshire Council, Burlodge, Cambridge City Council, Caterham Barracks Community Trust, Central Lincolnshire Council, Cherwell District Council, Coin Street Community Builders, Cotswold District Council, Coventry City Council, Cranfield University, Crescent Communities, Delifresh, Dream, Eco Birmingham, Edgars,
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Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
## Bioregional Development Group
(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having Share Capital)
Energy Saving Trust, Etude, Exeter University, Eyre Estate, Forest of Dean District Council, Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service, Greencore Homes, Habitat for Humanity, Hertford Town Council, Hill, ICAX Limited, Innovate UK, Islington Borough Council, Jamyang Buddhist Centre, Joju Solar, Kingfisher Group, Lambeth Council, Land Securities Properties LTD, Littlebury Community Energy, London Borough of Camden, London Heritage Quarter, London Realty, Maidenhead Neighbourhood Forum, Mamas and Papas, MidasDX, Mitchells & Butlers, Mole Valley District Council, Muse, National Education Union, Neulive, New West End Company, NG Bailey, Nottingham City Council, Oxford Brooks University, Oxfordshire County Council, PHD Building Advisory Limited, Placefirst Limited, Platform Housing, Poplar HARCA, Raven Housing Trust, Redwood Software UK Ltd, Rights Community Action, Royal Borough Kingston upon Thames, Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, RS Group, Rugby Borough Council, Sage Homes, Sandwell Metropolitan Council, Sidoli, Socius, South Kesteven District Council, South Oxfordshire District Councils, South Staffordshire DC, Specsavers, Sue Ryder, Surrey County Council, Sustainable Ventures, Swale Borough Council, Taggart, Test Valley Borough Council, The Boomerang Tag, The Portman Estate, The Woodland Group, Troup Bywaters & Anders, UKGBC, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Urban Equation, Uttlesford District Council, Wagamama Group Limited, Warwick District Council, West Berkshire Council, West Oxfordshire District Council, Westminster City Council, Windmill.
## **Management and Governance**
Responsibility for the organisation lies with its trustees, who meet quarterly. Trustees regularly look at their skills sets and review, considering upcoming activity, whether there is a need for training or whether the charity could benefit from recruiting additional trustees with skills or experience that may be valuable within the organisation.
All potential trustees are given a pack containing previous years’ annual report and accounts, the charities memorandum and articles of association, and current Bioregional work plan. They are also directed to the Charities Commission guidance on the responsibilities of trustees.
Prospective trustees are asked to declare they are eligible to be a trustee. They are also asked if they can see any conflicts of interest with being a trustee of the organisation. References are taken up. A vote of existing trustees is then taken on whether to offer a trusteeship. If the potential trustee is backed by a majority of existing trustees, they are formally appointed as a trustee and director of the organisation.
Trustees serve a maximum of two four-year terms.
As part of trustee training and induction, trustees are invited to in-house seminars, project update meetings and question and answer sessions to enable them to fully understand the projects and activity of the charity. A one-day business planning event is held annually for all staff and trustees to review the previous year and plan the next five years aims and activities, together with quarterly strategic meetings to which all trustees are invited.
Day-to-day responsibility for the running of the charity is delegated to the Chief Executive, Sue Riddlestone, who is a member of staff, and who is line managed by the Chair of trustees. Decision-making responsibility is further shared by an executive team of senior staff.
## **Fundraising Policy**
Bioregional’s core fundraising focus is on trusts, foundations and grant making bodies. We do not use any third-party fundraisers.
Typically, we apply for large grants of £100,000 and over, and these applications are made for specific projects that will help us scale our impact. Occasionally we apply to smaller funds for one-off projects or for match funding.
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Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
Bioregional Development Group (A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having Share Capital)
We focus on trusts and foundations that list the environment, climate change, and sustainable behaviour and development as core priorities. For energy projects or projects focussed on the circular economy, we look for funders that support innovation and disruptive projects. These are often government or EU funds, or large foundations with specific aims.
The Director of Finance and Resources ensures that all costs of the project have been covered, and to confirm that any risks of accepting the grant are fully considered.
## **Financial Performance**
The financial results relate to the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. The group’s income stood at £2.4m, a 21% increase from the £1.98m income generated in the previous year. The demand for our services remains high, however staff retention and recruitment remain a challenge due to demand for experienced staff with sustainability skills and a tight labour market. The following year will continue our focus in growing our income, impact, and maintaining the team.
Total expenditure for the year amounted to £2.27m (2024: £1.97m), an increase of £0.29m compared to the previous year. We continue to be vigilant, implementing effective and robust processes and internal controls to ensure efficiencies and value for money.
Salaries for the key management staff are reviewed as part of the overall
organisation salary review. The key management staff consist of the CEO, and three directors. The salary review is carried out by a remuneration subcommittee that consists of the Director of Finance and Resources, a member of the board of trustees, and another member of the key management staff. The salary review takes into consideration an annual uplift based on forecast inflation rates, a benchmarking review of the sector, and predicted increases in the salaries market for the forthcoming year. Proposals made by the remuneration subcommittee are then considered by the whole Trustee board for their approval.
Bioregional Homes received two loans in 2018/2019 to fund the costs for finding development sites and planning applications for those sites. These loans and the corresponding interest were written off by the lenders during the year. As such there is a £0.2m surplus in the year. Due to the unsuccessful acquisition of sites and no planning applications being made the company started wind up proceedings at the end of the year.
The net result of the group for the year is a surplus of £0.34m (2024: surplus of £0.1m). Excluding the charity’s subsidiaries and associates, the charity made a surplus of £0.14m for the year.
|**Group surplus**|343,824|
|---|---|
|**Adjustments for:**||
|Bioregional Homes suplus|(204,627)|
|Provision for inter company loan|1,750|
|**Charity surplus**|**140,946**|
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Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having Share Capital)
## Bioregional Development Group
The surplus in the charity is from the large increase in income delivered from a more focussed strategy on the types of advisory work delivered.
The total funds of the group at 31 March 2025 increased by 107% to £0.66m (2024: £0.32m), of which £0 is restricted (2024: £0).
## **Risk Management**
We maintain a risk register and regularly review the risks likely to impact our activities. Changes in legislation have influenced sustainability projects and initiatives.
Our strategy remains to diversify our activities to include new initiatives and new income streams in the coming year. We are now focusing our resources to speed up the change that is urgently required for us to be able to live within our planet’s resources. We are also working with property developers to instigate sustainable and affordable new homes and communities.
## **Reserves policy and going concern**
The reserves policy of Bioregional Development Group is to have a minimum of three months’ unrestricted expenditure in unrestricted reserves, but the aim is to have six months’ expenditure in reserve as the norm. We have prepared our reserves policy by looking at our forecasts for income and expenditure in the next financial year, taking a view on future needs and staff commitments, reliability of income, contingencies and risks and their likelihood and consequences in line with Charity Commission guidance. We believe this policy is a realistic assessment of the needs of the charity at this time and we will review it annually.
Reserves allow us to operate effectively as most work is paid for in arrears.
This buffer also enables a stable basis for growth and would allow us to meet our commitments if there was to be a funding shortfall. Often statutory funding requires match funding to be claimed. We have an obligation within the financial year to find this match funding from other sources. If we are unable to obtain match funding, we may require the use of reserves to meet the funder’s commitment. During the year, reserves have been used to fund areas of our work where there was a funding shortfall.
The free reserves balance (which is calculated as unrestricted funds excluding designated funds and fixed assets) at 31 of March 2025 for the group was £0.63m (2024: £0.29m). This is equivalent to 3.4 months (2024: 2 months) of unrestricted expenditure.
It is felt that 3.4 months of unrestricted expenditure is a prudent level of free reserves, whilst balancing the needs of our projects and the associated public benefit.
The trustees maintain that the group is a going concern based on the charity’s secured income and pipeline for the 2025/26 financial year.
We use the organisation’s reserves to generate an unrestricted income stream for the charity and have an ethical investments policy. The income derived from these investments is a byproduct of the reserves. Reserves are invested in a way that does not impede their intended use and are currently held as cash.
## **Statement of trustees’ responsibilities**
The trustees (who are also directors of Bioregional Development Group for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the trustees’ report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and the group and of the income and expenditure of the group for that period.
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Bioregional Development Group (A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having Share Capital)
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102);
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable United Kingdom Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the group and charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and the group and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Each of the trustees confirms that:
- so far as the trustee is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the group and the charitable company’s auditor is unaware; and
- the trustee has taken all the steps that he/she ought to have taken as a trustee in order to make himself/herself aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charitable company’s auditor is aware of that information.
This confirmation is given and should be interpreted in accordance with the provisions of s418 of the Companies Act 2006.
The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
## **Auditors**
A resolution to reappoint Azets Audit Services as auditors and authorise the Trustees to fix their remuneration will be proposed at the annual general meeting.
Approved and signed on behalf of the Trustees on 01 July 2025.
Jonathan Griffin
Trustee – Chair
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(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having Share Capital)
## Bioregional Development Group
## **Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of Bioregional Development Group**
## **Opinion**
We have audited the financial statements of Bioregional Development Group (the ‘charitable parent company’) for the year ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the group statement of financial activities, the group and charitable parent company balance sheets and statement of cash flows and the notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion, the financial statements:
- give a true and fair view of the state of the group’s and of the charitable parent company’s affairs as at 31 March 2025 and of the groups income and expenditure for the year then ended;
- have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
- have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
## **Basis for opinion**
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the group in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
## **Conclusions relating to going concern**
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the group or charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
## **Other information**
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
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Bioregional Development Group (A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having Share Capital)
## **Matters on which we are required to report by exception**
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
- the information given in the financial statements is inconsistent in any material respect with the report; or
- sufficient accounting records have not been kept; or
- the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records; or
- we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
## **Responsibilities of trustees**
As explained more fully in the statement of responsibilities, the trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the group’s and the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the either intend to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
## **Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements**
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.
## **Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud**
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above and on the Financial Reporting Council’s website, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud.
We obtain and update our understanding of the entity, its activities, its control environment, and likely future developments, including in relation to the legal and regulatory framework applicable and how the entity is complying with that framework. Based on this understanding, we identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. This includes consideration of the risk of acts by the entity that were contrary to applicable laws and regulations, including fraud.
In response to the risk of irregularities and non-compliance with laws and regulations, including fraud, we designed procedures which included:
- Enquiry of management and those charged with governance around actual and potential litigation and claims as well as actual, suspected, and alleged fraud;
- Assessing the extent of compliance with the laws and regulations considered to have a direct material effect on the financial statements or the operations of the company through enquiry and inspection;
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(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having Share Capital)
## Bioregional Development Group
- Reviewing financial statement disclosures and testing to supporting documentation to assess compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
- Performing audit work over the risk of management bias and override of controls, including testing of journal entries and other adjustments for appropriateness, evaluating the business rationale of significant transactions outside the normal course of business, and reviewing accounting estimates for indicators of potential bias;
- Reviewing minutes of meetings of those charged with governance.
Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.
## **Other Matters**
Your attention is drawn to the fact that the charity has prepared financial statements in accordance with "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (as amended) in preference to the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice issued on 1 April 2005 which is referred to in the extant regulations but has now been withdrawn.
This has been done in order for the financial statements to provide a true and fair view in accordance with current Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.
## **Use of our report**
This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditors' report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
## **Sam Thomas (Senior Statutory Auditor) for and on behalf of Azets Audit Services Statutory Auditor**
07/07/2025
Trinity Court 34 West Street Sutton Surrey United Kingdom SM1 1SH
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Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
## Bioregional Development Group
(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having Share Capital)
## **Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities (incorporating an income and expenditure account) for the year ended 31 March 2025**
|**Income**
Donations
Income from charitable activities:
Advisory income
**3**
Projects
**4**
Income from investment
Other income
**2**
**Total Income**
**Expenditure**
Charitable activities
Raising funds:
Other trading activities
**Total Expenditure**
**5**
**Net surplus before gains and**
**losses on investments**
**6**
Release of third party loan in trading
subsidiary
**Net surplus and net movement in**
**funds**
Fund balances at 1 April
**Fund balances at 31 March**
**13**
**Notes**|**£**
-
2,315,872
-
1,570
39,049
**2,356,491**
2,219,044
2,206
**2,221,250**
**135,241**
208,583
**343,824**
322,059
**665,883**
**Unrestricted**
**Funds**|**£**
-
-
46,172
-
-
**46,172**
46,172
-
**46,172**
**-**
-
**-**
-
**-**
**Restricted**
**Funds**|**Totals**
**Totals**
**£**
**£**
-
1,683
2,315,872
1,873,775
46,172
75,998
1,570
79
39,049
34,758
**2,402,663**
**1,986,293**
2,265,216
1,976,047
2,206
(2,400)
**2,267,422**
**1,973,647**
**135,241**
**12,646**
208,583
91,391
**343,824**
**104,037**
322,059
218,022
**665,883**
**322,059**
**2024**
**2025**|
|---|---|---|---|
All amounts relate to continuing activities. All recognised gains and losses during the year are incorporated in these figures. For comparatives to the previous financial year, see note 17
The notes on pages 26 to 41 form part of these financial statements.
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## Bioregional Development Group
(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having a Share Capital)
## **Balance Sheets as at 31 March 2025**
|||**Group**||**Charity**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Notes**|**2025**|**2024**|**2025**|**2024**|
|||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|**Fixed Assets**||||||
|Intangible assets|**8**|26,049|14,756|26,049|14,756|
|Tangible assets|**9**|12,805|14,614|12,805|14,614|
|Investments|**10**|-|-|1|1|
|||38,854|29,370|38,855|29,371|
|**Current Assets**||||||
|Debtors|**11**|611,411|566,296|611,411|566,296|
|Cash at bank and in hand||370,485|253,015|370,484|253,015|
|||981,896|819,311|981,895|819,311|
|**Creditors**: amounts falling due within one year|**12**|(354,867)|(526,622)|(303,722)|(269,100)|
|**Net Current Assets**||627,029|292,689|678,173|550,211|
|**Total Net Assets**||**665,883**|**322,059**|**717,028**|**579,582**|
|**Capital and Reserves**||||||
|Restricted funds||-|-|-|-|
|Unrestricted funds||665,883|322,059|717,028|579,582|
|**Total Funds**|**13**|**665,883**|**322,059**|**717,028**|**579,582**|
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and signed on 1 July 2025
Trustee – Chair
Trustee - Treasurer
Company Registration No. 02973226 (England and Wales) Charity Registration No. 1041486 (England and Wales)
The notes on page 26 to 41 form part of these financial statements
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Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having a Share Capital)
## Bioregional Development Group
## **Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows at 31 March 2025**
|**A**
**B**|**2025**
**2024**
Notes
**£**
**£**
**Cash flows from operating activities:**
Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities
A
**341,161**
**155,934**
**Cash flows from investing activities:**
Investment income and interest received
1,570
79
Purchase of tangible fixed assets
(5,368)
(11,112)
Purchase of intangible fixed assets
(13,809)
(14,756)
**Net cash generated/(used) in investing activities**
**(17,607)**
**(25,789)**
**Cash flows from borrowing activities**
Cash inflows/outflows from borrowings
2,500
(2,268)
Third party loan in subsidiary written off
(208,583)
(91,391)
**Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year**
117,470
36,486
**Cash and cash equivalents at 1 April**
B
253,015
216,529
**Cash and cash equivalents at 31 March**
B
**370,485**
**253,015**
**Notes to the statement of cash flows for the year to 31 March:**
**Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash used in operating activities**
**2025**
**2024**
**£**
**£**
**Net movement in funds (as per the statement of financial activities)**
343,824
104,037
**Adjustments for:**
Depreciation charge
7,177
5,816
Amortisation charge
2,516
-
Investment income and interest receivable
(1,570)
(79)
(Increase)/Decrease in debtors
(45,115)
25,298
Increase in creditors
34,328
20,862
**Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities**
**341,161**
**155,934**
**Analysis of cash and cash equivalents**
**2025**
**2024**
**£**
**£**
**Total cash and cash equivalents:**Cash at bank and in hand
**370,485**
**253,015**
**Group**|**2025**
**2024**
Notes
**£**
**£**
**Cash flows from operating activities:**
Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities
A
**341,161**
**155,934**
**Cash flows from investing activities:**
Investment income and interest received
1,570
79
Purchase of tangible fixed assets
(5,368)
(11,112)
Purchase of intangible fixed assets
(13,809)
(14,756)
**Net cash generated/(used) in investing activities**
**(17,607)**
**(25,789)**
**Cash flows from borrowing activities**
Cash inflows/outflows from borrowings
2,500
(2,268)
Third party loan in subsidiary written off
(208,583)
(91,391)
**Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year**
117,470
36,486
**Cash and cash equivalents at 1 April**
B
253,015
216,529
**Cash and cash equivalents at 31 March**
B
**370,485**
**253,015**
**Notes to the statement of cash flows for the year to 31 March:**
**Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash used in operating activities**
**2025**
**2024**
**£**
**£**
**Net movement in funds (as per the statement of financial activities)**
343,824
104,037
**Adjustments for:**
Depreciation charge
7,177
5,816
Amortisation charge
2,516
-
Investment income and interest receivable
(1,570)
(79)
(Increase)/Decrease in debtors
(45,115)
25,298
Increase in creditors
34,328
20,862
**Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities**
**341,161**
**155,934**
**Analysis of cash and cash equivalents**
**2025**
**2024**
**£**
**£**
**Total cash and cash equivalents:**Cash at bank and in hand
**370,485**
**253,015**
**Group**|
|---|---|---|
|||2,516
-|
|||(1,570)
(79)
(45,115)
25,298
34,328
20,862
**341,161**
**155,934**|
|||**2025**
**2024**
**£**
**£**
**370,485**
**253,015**|
|**Analysis of changes in net debt**
Cash at bank and in hand
Loans falling due within one year
**Total**|**At 1 April**
**2024**
**Cash flows**
**At 31 March**
**2025**
253,015
117,470
370,485|
|---|---|
||**253,015**
**117,470**
**370,485**
240,280
(206,083)
34,197|
||**240,280**
**(206,083)**
**34,197**
**493,295**
**(88,613)**
**404,682**|
25
Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
## Bioregional Development Group
(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having a Share Capital)
## **Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **1. STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTING POLICIES**
The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are laid out below, presented in sterling, and rounded to the nearest pound.
## **Basis of preparation**
These financial statements have been prepared for the year to 31 March 2025 with comparative information presented for the year ended 31 March 2024.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policies below or the notes to these financial statements.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (Charities SORP FRS 102) issued on 16 July 2014, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.
The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.
## **Basis of consolidation**
The statement of financial activities and balance sheet consolidate the financial statements of the charity and its wholly owned group undertakings (listed below) made up to the balance sheet date.
- Bioregional Homes Limited. A company limited by share capital and incorporated on 17 January 2018.
The results have been consolidated on a line-by-line basis and intercompany transactions eliminated in full on consolidation.
The charity holds 33.65% of the share capital in Bioregional MiniMills (UK) Limited. In accordance with FRS 102 this associate is accounted for using the equity method.
As at 31 March 2025, the charity also held 9% of the share capital in One Planet Digital Limited.
No separate statement of financial activities has been presented for the charity alone as permitted by the Companies Act 2006.
## **Critical accounting estimates and areas of judgement**
Preparation of the financial statements requires the trustees and management to make significant judgements and estimates.
The items in the financial statements where these judgements and estimates have been made include:
- estimating the liability for multi-year project grants, including how much income to defer or accrue and how much income to recognise in the current period
- estimating the overhead cost apportioned to each department and charged to the trading subsidiary Bioregional Homes Ltd
- estimating the useful economic life of tangible fixed assets;
26
Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
## Bioregional Development Group
(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having a Share Capital)
- estimating the useful economic life of intangible fixed assets; and
## **Assessment of going concern**
The trustees have assessed whether the use of the going concern assumption is appropriate in preparing these financial statements. They have made this assessment in respect to a period 12 months from the date of approval of these financial statements. This was done by reviewing the amount of secured income for 2025/26 at 31 March 2025 and the 2025/26 income pipeline.
The sector continues to see growth which has continued the increase in demand for our services, and we are confident we can reach our income target for 2025-26. The trend of increasing demand for our services is forecast to continue due to carbon reporting becoming mandatory, and the UK’s policy to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The biggest challenge is recruiting experienced staff in what is a very competitive job market.
Trustees have also considered the level of reserves of the group, along with the long-term funding agreements in place, the current income pipeline, and the ability to reduce costs swiftly. Taking all this into account they are of the opinion that there are no material uncertainties related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the ability of the group and the charity to continue as a going concern and the group and charity will have sufficient resources to meet its liabilities as they fall due.
## **Income recognition**
Income is recognised in the period in which the group and the charity has entitlement to income, the amount of the income can be measured reliably, and it is probable that the income will be received.
## _Advisory income_
Income from advisory activities is included in the period in which the company is entitled to receipt. It is measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable, excluding value added tax.
## _Project_
Income from projects comprises grants. This income is credited to the statement of financial activities when the group is entitled to the income unless it relates to funding for specific future periods either via explicit or implicit time conditions within the grant agreement. Grants which are subject to specific performance conditions are recognised when the performance conditions for their receipt have been met.
## _Donations_
Donations are recognised when the charity has confirmation of both the amount and settlement date. In the event of donations pledged but not received, the amount is accrued for where the receipt is considered probable.
In accordance with the Charities SORP FRS 102 volunteer time is not recognised.
## _Investment income_
Income receivable on deposits is recognised on an accruals basis.
## **Expenditure**
Expenditure is included in the statement of financial activities on an accruals basis net of any irrecoverable value added tax.
27
Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
## Bioregional Development Group
(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having a Share Capital)
The cost of charitable activities is all expenditure directly relating to the objects of the charity. Direct and support costs are allocated across the different activities and are allocated based on the approximate time spent on each activity.
Governance costs are all costs attributable to the management of the charity’s assets, organisation, business planning and compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.
Liabilities are recognized as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the group and the charity to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
## **Fund accounting**
Following the requirements of the Statement of Recommended Practice all the funds of Bioregional Development Group have been analysed over the different types of funds, which are:
## _Restricted funds_
Restricted funds are those where the donor has imposed restrictions on how the fund may be used, but which do not prevent the fund being spent.
## _Unrestricted funds_
Unrestricted funds are those which are not subject to any special restrictions and they can be used as the trustees decide. Designated funds are part of unrestricted funds and are amounts the trustees have set aside to cover particular expenditure.
## **Leases**
Payments under operating leases are charged to the statement of financial activities in equal annual instalments over the period of the leases.
## **Tangible fixed assets**
Where individual fixed assets exceed a value of £1,000 or a bulk purchase of fixed assets exceeds £1,000, they are capitalised. They are stated at cost, which represents their purchase cost together with any incidental costs of acquisition less accumulated depreciation.
Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its useful life.
Office equipment 33% straight line Computer equipment 33% straight line Fixtures and fittings 20% straight line
## **Intangible assets**
The intangible assets relate to the development of the website, One Planet Digital platform, and One Planet Living Goals and Guidance for the UK built environment. Amortisation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its useful life. Website development costs 25% straight line One Planet Digital platform 33% straight line One Planet Living Goals and Guidance 25% straight line
## **Investments**
Investments in subsidiary companies are valued at cost. Investments in associates have been accounted for using the equity method.
28
Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
## Bioregional Development Group
(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having a Share Capital)
## **Debtors**
Debtors are recognised at their settlement amount, less any provision for non-recoverability. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid. They have been discounted to the present value of the future cash receipt where such discounting is material.
## **Cash at bank and hand**
Cash at bank and hand represents such accounts and instruments that are available on demand or have a maturity of less than three months from the date of acquisition.
## **Creditors and provisions**
Creditors and provisions are recognised when there is an obligation at the balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are recognised at the amount the group and the charity anticipate it will pay to settle the debt. They have been discounted to the present value of the future cash payment where such discounting is material.
## **Foreign exchange**
Monetary assets and liabilities in foreign currencies are translated into sterling at the rates of exchange ruling at the balance sheet date. Transactions in foreign currencies are translated into sterling at rates ruling at the date of transactions. Exchange differences are taken into account in arriving at the net incoming resources for the year.
## **Pension costs**
The charity pays contributions to a defined contribution scheme on behalf of staff. The pension costs are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities as the contributions fall due.
## **Taxation**
The company is registered with the Charity Commission No. 1041486 and as such is exempt from taxation under S.505 of ICTA 1988 on its charitable activities.
## **2. OTHER INCOME**
|Recharges to One Planet Digital
One Planet Living® Licensing Fees
Other income
**Total**|**2025**
**2024**
**£**
**£**
6,900
-
6,900
13,200
15,000
-
15,000
20,000
17,149
-
17,149
1,558
**39,049**
**-**
**39,049**
**34,758**
**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**|
|---|---|
29
Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
## Bioregional Development Group
## (A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having a Share Capital)
## **3. ADVISORY INCOME**
|Charitable Consultancy and contracting
Educational tours, talks, and training and research
**Total**|**2025**
**2024**
**£**
**£**
2,309,136
-
2,309,136
1,868,322
6,736
-
6,736
5,453
**2,315,872**
**-**
**2,315,872**
**1,873,775**
**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**|
|---|---|
All advisory income in 2024 was unrestricted.
## **4. PROJECT INCOME**
|**One Planet Living**
National Lottery
**Innovation**
Affordable low carbon heating for
Responsible Social Landlord's
Innovate UK Net Zero Living
Digital Accelerator
**Core**
Skoll grant to pivot OPL
**Total**|**Total**
**Total**
**2025**
**2024**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
- - -
6,414
7,244
7,244
28,716
-
38,928
38,928
29,137
- - -
11,731
**-**
**46,172**
**46,172**
**75,998**
**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**|
|---|---|
All 2024 income from projects was restricted.
All the £46,172 of project income was grant income.
30
Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
## Bioregional Development Group
(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having a Share Capital)
**5. TOTAL EXPENDITURE**
|**One Planet**
**Living**
**Advisory**
**Bioregional**
**Homes**
**Total**
**2025**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**Costs directly allocated to activities:**
Staff costs
84,759
1,278,046
-
1,362,805
Project direct costs
8,376
265,808
2,206
276,390
**Support costs and shared costs allocated to activities:**
Premises & office costs
9,841
163,514
-
173,355
Central resources staff costs
19,576
325,260
-
344,836
Communications
2,077
34,517
-
36,594
Professional services &
consultancy
1,706
28,339
-
30,045
Insurance & legal
544
9,042
-
9,586
Travel & subsistence
72
1,200
-
1,272
Amortisation & depreciation
550
9,143
-
9,693
Bad debt
249
4,143
-
4,392
Governance costs
269
4,469
-
4,738
Audit fees
779
12,937
-
13,716
**128,798**
**2,136,418**
**2,206**
**2,267,422**|**Total**
**2024**
**£**
1,138,661
219,610
151,691
407,368
5,390
13,172
7,985
2,446
5,723
-
6,545
15,056|
|---|---|
||**1,973,647**|
Support costs are allocated across expenditure categories based on final FTE allocation for the year.
## **Comparative figures for 2024**
||**One Planet**
**Living**|**Advisory**|**Bioregional**
**Homes**|**Sustaining**
**Chobham**||**Total**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||||**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**||**£**|
|**Costs directly allocated to**|**activities:**||||||
|Staff costs|54,443|1,084,218|-||-|1,138,661|
|Project direct costs|17,387|204,623|(2,400)||-|219,610|
|**Support costs and shared**|**costs allocated to**|**activities:**|||||
|Premises & office costs|8,967|142,724|-||-|151,691|
|Central resources staff costs|
24,081|383,287|-||-|407,368|
|Communications|319|5,071|-||-|5,390|
|Professional services &
consultancy|779|12,393|-||-|13,172|
|Insurance & legal|472|7,513|-||-|7,985|
|Travel & subsistence|145|2,301|-||-|2,446|
|Amortisation & depreciation|338|5,385|-||-|5,723|
|Governance costs|387|6,158|-||-|6,545|
|Audit fees|890|14,166|-||-|15,056|
||**108,208**|**1,867,839**|**(2,400)**||**-**|**1,973,647**|
31
Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
## Bioregional Development Group
## (A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having a Share Capital)
## **6. NET (EXPENDITURE)**
Net (expenditure) is stated after charging:
||**2025**|**2024**|
|---|---|---|
||**£**|**£**|
|Staff costs (note 7)|1,906,436|1,746,319|
|Auditor’s remuneration:|||
|Statutory audit services|||
|- Current year|13,716|15,056|
|Other services:taxation services|||
|- Current year|-|295|
|Depreciation|7,177|5,816|
|Amortisation|2,516|-|
|Surplus on sale of intangible assets|-|-|
|Operating lease rentals|48,336|48,336|
## **7. EMPLOYEE COSTS**
|The number of employees that received emoluments over
£80,000 - £89,999
£70,000 - £79,999
£60,000 - £69,999
**Staff costs**
Wages and salaries
Pension costs
Social security costs
**Average Headcount of staff (FTE)**|£60,000 were:
**2025**
**2024**
1
1
3
3
3
1
**2025**
**2024**
**£**
**£**
1,671,106
1,527,417
79,100
72,811
156,230
146,091
**1,906,436**
**1,746,319**
29 (27)
29 (27)|
|---|---|
The number of employees that received emoluments over £60,000 were:
No trustees received any remuneration in either the current or prior year. One (2024: none) trustees received reimbursements for expenses in 2025 totalling £66.
The key management personnel of the group comprise the trustees and the leadership team made up of the Chief Executive Officer and the three (2024: five) heads of department. Total employee benefits of the key management personnel were £353,202 (2024: £509,854).
32
Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
## Bioregional Development Group
(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having a Share Capital)
## **8. INTANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS**
|**Group and Charity**|**Websites**|**OPAP**
**Platform**|**OPL Goals &**
**Guidance**
**Framework**|**Total**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**£**|**£**||**£**|
|**Cost**|||||
|At 1 April 2024|32,744|6,148|8,608|47,500|
|Additions|-|-|13,809|13,809|
|At 31 March 2025|32,744|6,148|22,417|61,309|
|**Amortisation**|||||
|At 1 April 2024|32,744|-|-|32,744|
|Charge for the year|-|2,049|467|2,516|
|At 31 March 2025|32,744|2,049|467|35,260|
|**Net book value:**|||||
|At 31 March 2025|-|4,099|21,950|26,049|
|At 31 March 2024|-|6,148|8,608|14,756|
## **9. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS**
|**Cost:**
At 1 April 2024
Additions
At 31 March 2025
**Depreciation:**
At 1 April 2024
Charge for the year
At 31 March 2025
**Net book value:**
At 31 March 2025
At 31 March 2024|**Computer**
**equipment**
**Fixtures and**
**fittings**
**Plant &**
**Other**
**Equipment**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
53,030
5,715
2,293
61,038
5,355
13
-
5,368|
|---|---|
||58,385
5,728
2,293
66,406
44,444
1,250
730
46,424
5,480
1,146
551
7,177|
||49,924
2,396
1,281
53,601
8,461
3,332
1,012
12,805|
||8,586
4,465
1,563
14,614|
33
Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
## Bioregional Development Group
(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having a Share Capital)
## **10. INVESTMENTS**
|**Subsidiaries**|**Subsidiaries**|**One Planet**
**Digital**|**One Planet**
**Digital**|**BioRegional**
**MiniMills (UK)**|**BioRegional**
**MiniMills (UK)**|**BioRegional**
**MiniMills (UK)**|**Total**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Cost**|**£**||**£**|||**£**|**£**|
|At 1 April 2024|1||-|||-|1|
|Additions
|-||-|||-|-|
|Disposals
|-||-|||-|-|
|Share of after tax losses in||||||||
|associate
|-||-|||-|-|
|At 31 March 2025|1||-|||-
|1|
|The investment in subsidiaries at 31|March 2025 represents the share capital in Bioregional|||||||
|Homes Limited.||||||||
||**Interest**
**held**||**Net**
**(liabilities)**
**at 31 March**
**2025**||**Net**
**income/(expe**
**nditure) for**
**the year ended**
**31 March 2025**|||
||||**£**||**£**|||
|Bioregional Homes Limited||||||||
|(11155709 registered at the
same address as Bioregional|100%||(74,831)|||204,627||
|Development Group)||||||||
|BioRegional MiniMills (UK)||||||||
|Limited (03447028 registered at
the same address as Bioregional|33%||(114,352)||||-|
|Development Group)||||||||
The investment in subsidiaries at 31 March 2025 represents the share capital in Bioregional Homes Limited.
Bioregional Homes Limited aims to build One Planet Communities using the ten principles of One Planet Living® in design, construction, and facilities management to achieve sustainable development – genuinely affordable homes that are zero-carbon, built from sustainable materials, that encourage recycling, food growing and biodiversity, and communities that are great places to live and work. The results of the company for the year ended 31 March 2025 are included in note 18
BioRegional MiniMills (UK) Limited aims to develop a small paper pulp mill suitable for pulping local waste materials to reduce the pressure on world forests.
34
Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
## Bioregional Development Group
## (A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having a Share Capital)
## **11. DEBTORS**
|**11. DEBTORS**||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Group**|||**Charity**||
||**2025**|**2024**||**2025**|**2024**|
||**£**||**£**|**£**|**£**|
|Trade debtors|354,440|301,767||354,440|301,767|
|Accrued income and prepayments|256,971|260,137||256,971|260,137|
|Other debtors|-|4,392||-|4,392|
||**611,411**|**566,296**||**611,411**|**566,296**|
|**12. CREDITORS:**falling due within one year||||||
||**Group**|||**Charity**||
||**2025**|**2024**||**2025**|**2024**|
||**£**|**£**||**£**|**£**|
|Trade creditors|46,929|84,285||29,916|67,273|
|Other creditors|105,074|34,677||105,074|34,382|
|Deferred income|91,562|72,280||91,562|72,280|
|VAT Liability|77,105|95,100||77,170|95,165|
|Loans|34,196|240,280||-|-|
||**354,866**|**526,622**||**303,722**|**269,100**|
## **12. CREDITORS:** falling due within one year
Deferred income consists of advisory income received in advance for services still to be delivered.
|**Deferred income**
Opening Balances
Released deferred income in period
Deferred income for period
Closing Balance|72,280
(72,280)
91,562|
|---|---|
||**91,562**|
35
Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
## Bioregional Development Group
## (A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having a Share Capital)
**==> picture [512 x 465] intentionally omitted <==**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Details of loans
Balance
Interest Balance at
Initial at 31
Lender Rate Per 31 March Terms
Captial March
Annum 2024
2025
£ £ £
This loan was written of by Treebeard Trust
Treebeard Trust 110,000 10% - 146,183 as no sites have been secured
This loan was wriiten off by The Mark
The Mark Leonard Leonard Trust as no planning permission
Trust 52,000 10% - 62,400 for at least one housing site was achieved.
Unsecured and repayable on securing
planning permission for a site in Chobham.
Interest is paid at the time the loan is
John Hoadly 5,000 10% 6,875 6,375 repaid.
Unsecured director's loan which is
repayable on securing planning permission
for a site in Chobham. Interest is paid at
Susan Riddlestone 5,000 10% 6,875 6,375 the time the loan is repaid.
Unsecured director's loan which is
repayable on securing planning permission
for a site in Chobham. Interest is paid at
Daniel Nicholson 5,000 10% 6,854 6,354 the time the loan is repaid.
Unsecured and repayable on securing
planning permission for a site in Chobham.
Interest is paid at the time the loan is
Ronan Leyden 5,000 10% 6,718 6,219 repaid.
Unsecured and repayable on securing
planning permission for a site in Chobham.
Interest is paid at the time the loan is
Richard Hutton 5,000 10% 6,875 6,375 repaid.
**----- End of picture text -----**
All loans relating to the charities trading subsidiary Bioregional Homes are shown as current. This is due to the decision by the directors of Bioregional Homes to wind the company up which is due to be completed in the first quarter of the next financial year.
36
Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
## Bioregional Development Group
## (A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having a Share Capital)
## **13. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS**
|**At 1 April**
**2024**|**Income**|**Expenditure **|**Other Gains/**
**(Losses)**|**At 31 March**
**2025**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|**£**|**£**|**£**||**£**|
|**Restricted funds**|||||
|Innovation
-|46,172|(46,172)|- -|- -|
|**Total restricted funds**
**-**|**46,172**|**(46,172)**|**- -**|**- -**|
|**Total unrestricted funds**
**322,059**|**2,356,491**|**(2,221,250)**|**208,583**|**665,883**|
|**Total funds**
**322,059**|**2,402,663**|**(2,267,422)**|**208,583**|**665,883**|
## **Comparative movement in funds figures for 2024**
The purposes of the restricted funds are as follows **:**
**One Planet Living** : We started a One Planet communities project in Abingdon UK project funded by the National Lottery, where we have worked to inspire widespread behaviour change across the town by making sustainable living easier and more attractive.
**Innovation** : The funds were used for research and development of a tool to help local authorities with their central planning. This project was funded by Innovate UK.
**Core:** These funds were used to support Bioregional during the Coronavirus pandemic and its office move.
37
Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
## Bioregional Development Group
## (A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having a Share Capital)
## **14. NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS**
## **Group**
|Intangible assets
Fixed assets
Current assets
Current liabilities
**Total funds**
**Charity**
Investments
Intangible assets
Fixed assets
Current assets
Current liabilities
**Total funds**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
**£**
26,049
-
26,049
12,805
-
12,805
981,895
-
981,895
(354,866)
-
(354,866)
**665,883**
**-**
**665,883**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
**£**
1
-
1
26,049
-
26,049
12,805
-
12,805
981,895
-
981,895
(303,722)
-
(303,722)|
|---|---|
||**717,028**
**-**
**717,028**|
## **Comparative net assets between funds figures for 2024**
## **Group**
|Intangible assets
Fixed assets
Current assets
Current liabilities
Long-term liabilities
**Total funds**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
**£**
14,756
-
14,756
14,614
-
14,614
819,311 -
819,311
(526,622)
-
(526,622)
- - -|
|---|---|
||**322,059**
**-**
**322,059**|
## **Charity**
|**Charity**||
|---|---|
|Investments
Intangible assets
Fixed assets
Current assets
Current liabilities
**Total funds**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
**£**
1 -
1
14,756
-
14,756
14,614
-
14,614
819,311 -
819,311
(269,100)
-
(269,100)|
||**579,582**
**-**
**579,582**|
38
Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
## Bioregional Development Group
## (A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having a Share Capital)
## **15. OBLIGATIONS UNDER LEASING AGREEMENTS**
The following payments are committed to be paid in respect of leased assets:
|Within less than one year
Between two and five years
More than 5 years|**2025**
**2024**
**£**
**£**
48,336
48,336
-
-
-
-
**Land and Buildings**
**Group and Charity**|
|---|---|
## **16. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS**
During the year, the group undertook the following transactions with related parties:
|**Name**||**Details**|**Value of transactions**
**during year**|**Value of transactions**
**during year**|**Amount owed to**
**Bioregional Development**
**Group at 31 March**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||**2025**|**2024**|**2025**
**2024**|
||||**£**|**£**|**£**
**£**|
|**Bioregional MiniMills**
**(UK) Limited**|Loan|to BRMM|-|-|50,000
50,000|
|**One Planet Digital**
**Limited**|Recharges||6,900|18,200|1,080
7,320|
|**Bioregional Homes**
**Limited**|Loan
BH|& interest to|1,750|2,214|23,502
21,752|
## **Individuals’ shareholdings in group companies**
Sue Riddlestone (CEO) is the sole director of Bioregional MiniMills, has a 7.75% (2024: 7.75%) shareholding in the company, and is owed an outstanding loan of £25,000 (2024: £25,000) by Bioregional MiniMills.
39
Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
## Bioregional Development Group
## (A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having a Share Capital)
## **17. COMPARATIVE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES**
|**Notes**
**Income**
Donations
Income from charitable activities:
Advisory income
**3**
Projects
**4**
Other trading activities
**19**
Income from investment
Other income
**2**
**Total Income**
**Expenditure**
Charitable activities
Raising funds:
Other trading activities
**19**
**Total Expenditure**
**5**
**Net expenditure before gains and**
**losses on investments**
**6**
Release of third party loan in trading
subsidiary
**13**
**Net surplus and net movement in funds**
Fund balances at 1 April
**Fund balances at 31 March**
**14**|**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**£**
1,683
1,873,775
-
-
79
34,758
**1,910,295**
1,900,049
(2,400)
**1,897,649**
**12,646**
91,391
**104,037**
218,022
**322,059**|**Restricted**
**Funds**
**£**
-
-
75,998
-
-
-
**75,998**
75,998
-
**75,998**
**-**
-
**-**
-
**-**|**Totals 2024**
**£**
1,683
1,873,775
75,998
-
79
34,758|
|---|---|---|---|
||||**1,986,293**|
||||1,976,047
(2,400)|
||||**1,973,647**|
||||**12,646**
91,391
**104,037**
218,022|
||||**322,059**|
40
Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
## Bioregional Development Group
## (A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having a Share Capital)
## **18. BIOREGIONAL HOMES LIMITED PROFIT AND LOSS STATEMENT**
**==> picture [417 x 263] intentionally omitted <==**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Totals Totals
Notes
2025 2024
£ £
Turnover 2 - -
Write off of loan 208,583 -
Cost of Sales - -
Gross Profit 208,583 -
Administrative Expenses (3,956) 183
Profit/(Loss) Before Taxation 204,627 183
Retained losses at 1 April (279,275) (279,458)
Retained losses at 31 March (74,648) (279,275)
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **19. POST BALANCE SHEET EVENTS**
There were no post balance sheet events.
41
Docusign Envelope ID: BC1D07CE-B6A1-4748-9AA8-AEA7884FC892
(A Company Limited by Guarantee and Not Having a Share Capital)
## Bioregional Development Group
## **Legal and Administrative Information**
## **Constitution**
Bioregional Development Group was setup under a Memorandum and Articles of Association signed by its trustees on the 21 September 1994 and was registered as a charity on 4 October 1994 (charity number 1041486). Bioregional Group Development Group is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales with company number 02973226.
## **Members’ liability**
The liability of the members shall not exceed £10 each.
## **Trustees**
During the financial year 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 and up to the date of approval of these financial statements, Bioregional Development Group’s trustees were:
Chair: Jonathan Griffin Treasurer: Sarah Kemmitt Trustees: Jo Walton (until 10 December 2024) Sarah Redshaw Zoë Arden Jenny Hindley (until 25 June 2024) Johann van Dyke Rob Sauven Munish Datta
## **Registered Address**
Bioregional Development Group Telephone: +44 (0)20 8404 4880 Sustainable Workspaces Email: info@bioregional.com 5[th] Floor County Hall Website: www.bioregional.com London SE1 7PB
Names and addresses of other relevant organisations are as follows:
**Banker Auditor**
Triodos Bank Azets Audit Services Deanery Road 34 West Street Bristol Sutton BS1 5AS SM1 1SH
**Patrons** : Professor Sir Ghillean Prance, FRS, VMH
## **Senior Management:**
Chief Executive Sue Riddlestone Director of Finance and Resources Tom Schuurman Director of Sustainable Places Lewis Knight Director of Sustainable Business Debbie Luffman
42