Orchard Street Investment Management is set to deploy up to £3bn into climate-focused real estate upgrades, attracting institutional backing by combining environmental improvements with strong returns across industrial, retail, and living assets.
Orchard Street Investment Management is stepping up its push into real estate decarbonisation, with plans to deploy between £2bn and £3bn over the next few years as it scales a strategy that is drawing strong backing from institutional investors.
The firm’s open-ended, UK-only impact vehicle has already secured two rounds of commitments from local government pension schemes, reflecting growing appetite for funds that can combine measurable environmental improvements with income and capital growth. Orchard Street says the model is built around buying underinvested assets, improving their energy performance and managing them actively so that the buildings become cheaper to run and more attractive to occupiers.
Tom Chadwick, a partner at the company, said the approach focuses on “brown assets” that trade at a discount because they are no longer fit for purpose, then upgrades them to lower tenants’ costs and strengthen long-term value. Orchard Street argues that this is not a trade-off between ethics and returns, but a route to both.
The latest fund has already deployed about £200m and is on course to build a portfolio worth more than £750m. Orchard Street’s first acquisition for the vehicle was Euroway Trade Park in Aylesford, a seven-unit multi-let industrial estate, where it is installing solar panels, EV charging and full electrification while targeting EPC upgrades from C-E to A and A+. The fund has since bought four multi-let industrial estates and two retail parks, and it is targeting industrial, retail parks and living assets, including single-family housing and senior living.
Property Week recently reported further acquisitions that fit the same pattern, including St George’s Shopping Park in Leicester, City Business Park in Bristol and Capital Court in Uxbridge. Orchard Street has also set aside £4.2m for sustainability and community initiatives at the Leicester retail park, underlining how the strategy extends beyond pure energy upgrades to wider social impact.
At Taurus Park in Warrington, another Orchard Street asset, the replacement of gas boilers with heat pumps, the addition of solar panels, LED lighting and EV charging helped lift the EPC rating from C to A+, while also cutting tenants’ energy bills by the equivalent of about 5% of the rent roll. Chadwick said that kind of saving can support rent growth, tenant retention and lower obsolescence risk.
The firm is increasingly selective about where it deploys capital. It still sees limited scope in secondary offices outside the strongest cities, where refurbishment costs and sticky pricing often make deals hard to underwrite. By contrast, Orchard Street says well-located industrial estates, retail parks and living assets offer stronger structural demand and clearer routes to value creation.
Kathryn Barber, Orchard Street’s head of sustainability and ESG, said the business now works to a carbon hierarchy that begins with reducing demand through better fabric and insulation, then moves to metering, electrification and solar generation. Embodied carbon and local supply chains also form part of its framework, which the company says is independently verified and tied to mandatory performance targets.
Orchard Street says the model is attracting investors who want capital to generate regional economic benefits as well as returns. That has also driven its work on green skills, with partnerships in colleges and placements tied to live projects. For the firm, the message is simple: sustainability is not a side issue, but a central part of how modern real estate value is created.
- https://www.bisnow.com/news/london/capital-markets/orchard-street-green-fund – Please view link – unable to able to access data
- https://www.propertyweek.com/news/orchard-street-investment-management-snaps-up-leicester-retail-park – Orchard Street Investment Management has acquired St George’s Shopping Park in Leicester from Tritax Big Box for an undisclosed fee. The 192,695 sq ft retail park is fully let to tenants including Costa, Next, Pets at Home, and Aldi. The acquisition was made on behalf of Orchard Street’s Impact Fund, launched in 2022, which targets value-add real estate investments with the potential to generate measurable social and environmental impact. Orchard Street has allocated £4.2 million for sustainability and ESG improvements at the park, such as decarbonisation, developing the site’s biodiversity, offering adult skills training, and social community initiatives. Barney Rowe, portfolio manager of Orchard Street’s impact fund, stated that the asset offers numerous opportunities to reposition the estate into a best-in-class retail property due to its favourable location and high-quality tenants. The acquisition reflects Orchard Street’s commitment to integrating sustainability into its investment strategy and enhancing the value of its assets through responsible management practices.
- https://www.propertyweek.com/news/orchard-street-completes-30m-acquisition-of-bristol-industrial-estate – Orchard Street Investment Management has completed the acquisition of City Business Park, a prime multi-let industrial estate in central Bristol, for £30 million. The estate comprises nineteen units totalling approximately 118,000 sq ft across a six-acre site. All units are let or under offer at a passing rent of £7.80 per sq ft overall. Orchard Street plans to improve the estate’s sustainability credentials and capture reversionary rents in the near term to generate value for investors. The acquisition aligns with Orchard Street’s strategy of acquiring underperforming assets and enhancing their value through intensive asset management and sustainability initiatives.
- https://www.propertyweek.com/news/orchard-street-investment-management-buys-19-2m-uxbridge-offices – Orchard Street Investment Management has agreed to buy Capital Court in Uxbridge from Standard Life Investments Property Income Trust for £19.2 million. The acquisition reflects Orchard Street’s ongoing strategy of expanding its portfolio with well-located assets that offer potential for value enhancement through active management and sustainability improvements. The Uxbridge offices are expected to benefit from Orchard Street’s expertise in repositioning assets to meet market demand and improve their environmental performance.
- https://www.propertyweek.com/news/orchard-street-appoints-a-head-of-responsibility-and-esg – Orchard Street Investment Management has appointed Lora Brill as its head of responsibility and ESG. This appointment underscores Orchard Street’s commitment to integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into its investment and management processes. Lora Brill’s role will involve leading the firm’s ESG strategy, ensuring that sustainability considerations are embedded across its portfolio, and engaging with stakeholders to promote responsible investment practices. The appointment reflects a growing emphasis on ESG within the real estate investment sector and Orchard Street’s proactive approach to addressing these considerations.
- https://www.propertyweek.com/finance/gic-invests-in-latest-orchard-street-fund – Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC has backed Orchard Street Investment Management on the launch of its third Special Situations Fund. This investment highlights the confidence institutional investors have in Orchard Street’s ability to identify and manage value-add opportunities in the UK real estate market. The fund is expected to focus on assets with potential for improvement through active management and strategic repositioning, aligning with Orchard Street’s expertise in enhancing underperforming properties to achieve superior returns.
- https://www.propertyweek.com/news/orchard-street-lets-first-unit-at-west-londons-only-carbon-neutral-industrial-estate – Orchard Street Investment Management has let the first unit at ‘the only carbon neutral industrial estate in West London’ to Airbox Fulfilment. This development demonstrates Orchard Street’s commitment to sustainability and its proactive approach to creating energy-efficient and environmentally friendly properties. The letting of the first unit signifies the successful implementation of Orchard Street’s carbon-neutral strategy and its ability to attract tenants seeking sustainable business premises. The project reflects a growing trend in the real estate sector towards integrating sustainability into property development and management.
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
8
Notes:
The article was published on August 4, 2026, and reports on recent developments in Orchard Street Investment Management’s decarbonisation fund. The earliest known publication date of similar content is November 1, 2022, when Orchard Street announced the first close of its £400 million Impact Fund focused on decarbonisation. ([orchard-street.co.uk](https://www.orchard-street.co.uk/sites/default/files/pdfs/news/22-11-01-orchard-street-announces-first-close-ps400-million-impact-fund-focused-decarbonisation.pdf?utm_source=openai)) The narrative appears to be original, with no evidence of significant recycling from low-quality sites or clickbait networks. The article includes updated data and quotes, suggesting freshness. However, without access to the full content of the November 2022 announcement, it’s challenging to confirm the originality of the quotes used. Given the lack of earlier versions with differing figures, dates, or quotes, the freshness score remains high.
Quotes check
Score:
6
Notes:
The article includes direct quotes from Tom Chadwick and Kathryn Barber of Orchard Street. A search for these quotes did not yield earlier instances, indicating they may be original. However, without access to the full content of the November 2022 announcement, it’s difficult to confirm the originality of these quotes. The absence of earlier matches suggests the quotes are likely original, but this cannot be verified with certainty.
Source reliability
Score:
7
Notes:
The article is published by Bisnow, a commercial real estate news platform. While Bisnow is a known source within the real estate industry, it is not as widely recognised as major news organisations like the BBC or Reuters. The article appears to be summarising and reporting on Orchard Street’s recent activities, with no indication of being a press release or promotional content. However, the lack of independent verification from other reputable outlets raises some concerns about the source’s reliability.
Plausibility check
Score:
8
Notes:
The claims made in the article align with Orchard Street’s known focus on real estate decarbonisation and their previous investments in this area. The reported £2B to £3B investment drive is consistent with their past activities, such as the £400 million Impact Fund announced in November 2022. ([orchard-street.co.uk](https://www.orchard-street.co.uk/sites/default/files/pdfs/news/22-11-01-orchard-street-announces-first-close-ps400-million-impact-fund-focused-decarbonisation.pdf?utm_source=openai)) The article provides specific details about the fund’s focus on multi-let industrial, retail parks, and residential sectors, as well as the acquisition of Euroway Trade Park in Aylesford. These details are plausible and consistent with Orchard Street’s known investment strategies.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): REVIEW
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM
Summary:
The article provides a detailed account of Orchard Street’s recent investment activities in real estate decarbonisation, with specific figures and quotes. While the content appears original and plausible, the lack of independent verification from other reputable sources raises concerns about its reliability. The quotes used cannot be fully verified, and the source’s credibility is not as strong as major news organisations. Given these factors, a REVIEW verdict is recommended to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information before publication.