£80m poured into a new sustainable infrastructure strategy

Bedfordshire and Staffordshire pension funds have invested in Gresham House’s Sustainable Infrastructure strategy in a bid to bolster communities environmental benefits.

Today, Gresham House’s Sustainable Infrastructure (BSIF) strategy has secured £80 million in investment from Bedfordshire Pension Fund and Staffordshire Pension Fund to help accelerate the deployment of profitable, real asset-based solutions to key environmental and societal challenges facing the UK. 

The ‘place-based impact investing’ approach has already raised £400m for BSIF, with other Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) funds already showing interest in the sustainable strategy.

Against this backdrop, the infrastructure, which includes developments such as ‘habitat banks’ for biodiversity, ‘vertical farming’, and broadband rollout in remote communities, is expected to generate £600m in economic, social, and environmental benefits for the areas.

Bedfordshire Pension Fund chair, Cllr Doug McMurdo, said: ‘We are committed to creating positive environmental and social change for communities here in the East of England, which already plays host to a wide range of renewable energy infrastructure – our region is already playing a key role in the UK’s transition to net zero.

‘The scale of infrastructure investment required presented compelling opportunities to help develop the critical assets that will improve lives and deliver lasting local economic and environmental benefits.

‘This commitment will help us build on the region’s reputation as a green leader, incorporating industry-leading sustainable infrastructure assets into the mix.’

As well as making positive changes to the environment and society, investments in BSIF have created around 5,000 new jobs that will come into place in 2025/26. Additionally, the programme has enabled up to 98% of less water being used through growing leady greens instead of imported crops, creating 1,900x less carbon and ‘thousands of hectares of new biodiversity habitats’.

‘The support from Bedfordshire and Staffordshire Pension Funds, and our other institutional investors, is empowering us to continue directing capital into areas where real asset-based solutions can have the biggest impact,’ Peter Bachmann, managing director of sustainable infrastructure at Gresham House, a specialist alternative asset manager, said. ‘We look forward to developing new place-based investment solutions for their regions’ challenges, creating even greater benefits for their members and local communities.’

Peter added: ‘By focusing on greenfield, mid-market (sub-£50m) platform opportunities, Gresham House’s Sustainable Infrastructure team prioritises underfunded sectors that offer the potential for strong returns and certain further deal-flow, while providing hands-on support to the entrepreneurs and technologies making a tangible difference for people and planet.’

Image: Markus Spiske