The network offers lenders, developers, architects, and other industry professionals the opportunity to collaborate on sustainable projects and to learn about green development techniques and materials.

The SDN will host quarterly breakfast meetings in London to support developers, who can network with lenders and industry professionals with experience of sustainable projects and watch presentations by expert speakers. 

The network already had its inaugural meeting in April, during which Rob Pell, founder of sustainability consultancy Minviro, gave a presentation about the carbon lifecycle of buildings and sparked a group discussion among attendees.

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Jake O’Leary, director of communications and sustainable finance at Mackenzie Byrne, said: “I wanted to work out how we could help reduce carbon emissions in the development industry.

“To find out what was needed, I surveyed some of our lending partners, who kept suggesting more support for SME housebuilders to make the transition to sustainable development. 

“As brokers, it’s our job to make connections, so bringing developers, lenders, and industry professionals together seemed like the obvious thing to do.”

The next SDN breakfast meeting is on Thursday, 21st July in London and will feature a presentation on sustainable architecture by Dan Town, director at OSG Architecture.

Those interested in attending the free event and applying for a network membership can contact Jake directly via email.