Springfield Properties

The Scottish housing market is small but buying and selling is more predictable and better organised than in England and Wales. There is a national housing shortage and Springfield is helping to address this problem.

Springfield still has an excellent, well-located landbank. The company has also sensibly acquired other small, often family-owned, housebuilding companies over the last few years and we expect this strategy to continue.

The north of Scotland offers great opportunities for growth, for example at the new Inverness and Cromarty Freeport as well as major developments in energy infrastructure, with the Scottish government, local councils and infrastructure providers such as SSE committed to supporting more housebuilding in anticipation of more workers moving to the region.

While Springfield Properties promotes ‘Eco-Friendly design’ and ‘Green Construction’ practices, its developments, like those of any housebuilder, can still result in significant environmental impact, including land transformation, habitat disruption and energy-related emissions during construction.

Despite efforts to reduce its footprint, the nature of large-scale housing developments means environmental risks will always be a concern.

The company also faces labour and human rights risks. Construction work is physically demanding and carries a high risk of injury or fatality, making workforce health and safety an important theme. Accidents can lead to legal, financial and reputational consequences.

The sector is also vulnerable to modern slavery risks, particularly through supply chains involving raw materials. While Springfield has taken steps to improve transparency, auditing complex supply chains remains a challenge.