As business leaders continue to discuss the outcomes of the recent COP26 international summit in Glasgow, one determined company here in the North West is making its own measurable plans to move towards the net-zero core principle. Yakel Property Investment is introducing its own key scheme: a niche family-run real estate investment management agency, the management team already have in place plans which will enable key employees to make their own contribution to sustainability and environmental protection.

After discovering that 75% of electrical vehicle (EV) users cannot charge their cars at work, the team at Yakel will be launching the installation of their own EV charging points at their Connect Business Village in Liverpool this month, a prestigious scheme comprising of 40,000 square foot of self-contained offices.

Liverpool based Yakel Property Investment is a family-run niche real estate investment management agency specialising in the acquisition and management of distressed, part-completed and key value-added opportunities across the region. Their diversified portfolio of small business centres, light industrial, residential, development sites, retail, offices and developments are managed solely in-house, which means that this decision to launch their own EV charging facilities at Connect Business Village will eventually ripple out to other sites under their own managed programme.

Charlotte Sibcy, the Business Analyst for Yakel Property Investment explains:

“In order to move towards carbon neutral status, as a business we are reshaping our own proactive agenda. It is vital that we take responsibility for our own net-zero commitments, and our scheme at Connect Business Village is part of our ongoing pledge to do so. The decision to install our initial two charging ports at this site will not only help this development become more carbon neutral, but will hopefully accommodate our growing number of tenants choosing electric vehicles, and will certainly encourage future vehicle decisions to move towards further use of EVs.

This is just part of our determined aim to offer greener workspaces for our tenants. A major objective for us also has been to work with buildings which are also already established, including our recent investment development at Oriel Chambers, which we acquired in 2019. This iconic Grade I listed building in Liverpool’s Water Street, formerly a host to mainly legal professionals, has now been transformed by us into a thoroughly modern business hub, providing workspaces and a regenerated Oriel Close retail arcade. The restoration of this heritage building is part of our programme to preserve and update valued existing buildings like Oriel Chambers, whilst respecting their original architecture and heritage.

The combination of these two themes is important for us at Yakel. The installation of our EV charging system is a straightforward investment for the future, as we are also putting together plans into place for further, sound net-zero execution. The acquisition and development of Oriel Chambers, to our own exacting standards, preserves and also gives a future to valuable listed buildings.

As we are a business who makes all of its own decision planning in-house, we can move forward with our dedicated net-zero plans whilst taking into account the needs of our business and all of its related stakeholders.”

Yakel’s EV recharging scheme at Connect Business Village Liverpool launches on 20th November 2021, as part of the group’s investment strategy to move forwards towards its measured net-zero commitment, taking charge of its own initiative to secure the company’s contribution to becoming more sustainable now and in the near future.