• Grosvenor’s updated Engagement Charter and open-source toolkit ensure engagement is the foundation for delivering social impact.
• The new commitments build on practices already embedded in the organisation’s day-to-day operations.
• The Charter comes as research from Social Value Portal reveals that public confidence in developers has risen from 2% to 16% since 2019.

Grosvenor has today launched an updated Engagement Charter alongside a new open-source toolkit, reinforcing its commitment to building trust and delivering lasting social impact through genuine collaboration with communities.

The updated charter builds on the foundations of Grosvenor’s original 2020 commitments, many of which are now part of everyday practice, and ensures that engagement remains the foundation for identifying need and delivering social impact. The Charter focuses on four key areas:

• Listen first: taking the time to listen to a wide range of people before acting and creating spaces for communities to share their lived experience and priorities.
• Active participation: working with communities to make things happen together, not just consult on decisions already made.
• Make it easier: removing the barriers to give everyone a voice and opportunity to help shape better outcomes.
• Be accountable: being open about what is heard and done in response, using data, feedback and transparent reporting.

Across the sector, more meaningful engagement is beginning to shift public perceptions. In 2019, public confidence in developers and planning authorities stood at just 2%. Grosvenor’s first community engagement charter, Positive Space, was launched as a response to these low levels of trust and a call for greater openness and transparency.

Now, in 2025, public trust in property companies has risen to 16%, according to research published by the Social Value Portal. While there is still a long way to go, this upward movement reflects growing industry-wide commitment to listening, collaboration and transparency.

Grosvenor’s approach has continued to evolve and improve, reflected in the updated Charter, championing a simple but powerful principle: engagement is the foundation of social impact. Methods of achieving that are varied and include tracking local wellbeing data to target action, recruiting youth researchers to help broaden participation, convening lived experience panels to ensure developments are inclusive and accessible, and staying accountable through community steering groups. By actively listening, collaborating with local partners, and embedding inclusion from the outset, Grosvenor is helping to shape and manage sustainable places that work for everyone.

To support others in the sector, Grosvenor is publishing a community engagement toolkit alongside the Charter. This practical step-by-step guide is publicly available to support individuals and teams involving communities in a wide range of projects. By sharing this resource openly, Grosvenor aims to accelerate sector-wide progress and help others embed engagement as a fundamental driver of fairer, more inclusive impact.

To read the charter or access the toolkit please click here. 

Nicola Rochfort, Head of Community Engagement and Insights at Grosvenor Property UK says: 

“Ultimately, engagement is the foundation of our social impact approach, which starts with listening, treating communities as experts, and building respect. When we get that right, we can focus investment and partnerships on actions that deliver lasting local benefit. Our updated Charter and new accompanying toolkit reflect this approach - designed to make good practice accessible, both bring together examples and tips to help shaping or managing places. We hope others will use and adapt them and continue the conversation around this topic to keep improving, because better engagement means better places - especially for those who need it most.”

Kevin Ramsey, Head of Service Community Development at Westminster City Council says: 

“Effective engagement ensures places reflect the realities of those who live and work there. Public–private partnerships amplify this impact by combining Westminster City Council’s social purpose with the long-term investment of partners like Grosvenor. The Charter and toolkit provide a shared framework that makes engagement ethical and accessible, helping practitioners build trust, strengthen resilience, and deliver fairer outcomes for communities.”

David Moynihan, Head of Services South at Locality says: 

“At Locality, we believe strong and resourceful communities are built when people have real power to shape the places they live. Meaningful engagement is not just a process, it’s a commitment to trust, transparency and reciprocity. Grosvenor’s Positive People’s Charter sets an important standard by recognising communities as equal partners, not simply consultees. When engagement is co-designed, when barriers are removed, and when small everyday issues are taken seriously alongside long-term plans, trust grows and with it, the potential for lasting social impact. We welcome this Charter as a practical step towards more community-led decision-making and fairer outcomes for local people.”