Scentre Group’s purpose is to create extraordinary places, connecting and enriching communities. Our portfolio of shopping centres is an essential part of the community’s social and economic fabric, with more that 525 million customers visiting a Westfield shopping centre in 2016. Investments in our portfolio and innovation are underpinned by meaningful engagement with the communities in which our centres operate.
Our engagement with stakeholders:
Scentre Group engages with the community as part of development projects to understand community expectations. Our centres engage with their local community groups and clubs and provide space within the centres to facilitate further community connections. Centres have ongoing relationships with local schools, councils and emergency services and regularly partner with them to deliver community training and awareness programs.
Our management approach:
Objective: Maintain and grow meaningful engagement with the communities in which our centres operate.
Management: The Scentre Group Board approves all community projects. Our centres’ community liaison and design teams undertake community engagement for development projects and ensure that community feedback is reflected in the design of our assets. Development teams are responsible for delivering development assets as per design specifications. Our centre teams maintain relationships with local community groups and engage with them to help them reach out to the community.
Measurement: We measure our performance through the implementation of our centre’s community plans and by undertaking community engagement initiatives to gain meaningful feedback during development projects.
Our 2016 results:
Compiled an inventory of local community needs at our centres
Undertook targeted community initiatives
Provided space in centres for use by local community groups and not-for-profit organisations
Our future programs and initiatives:
Develop Scentre Group’s Community Strategy
Engage with the community in the development of our assets to inform design decision-making
Engage with local community groups to identify and address outstanding needs
Develop and implement centre community plans
Fund community outcomes through our grants program
