When the Trustees of Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust (CHDT) approved their Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2022-26, they set out an ambitious vision; to reach net zero by 2050, restore and enhance biodiversity across their heritage estate, and embed sustainable thinking into their ways of working.

Mortice’s role was to help turn that vision into action. Appointed in 2021, we worked alongside CHDT to develop a clear, realistic and prioritised delivery plan for the first year of the Strategy, that recognised both the urgency of the climate crisis and the unique challenges of operating a complex historic environment with limited resources.

Our Approach

The CHDT’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy set out five core objectives, supported by 28 individual goals, spanning short, medium, and long‑term delivery. Our challenge was to rationalise these into a programme that was achievable in year one, while laying the foundations for future years.

To do this, we developed a prioritisation framework that grouped activity into three interconnected action workstreams, each capable of supporting multiple strategic objectives: Count the Carbon, Collaborate on Biodiversity and Create the Conversations. Within these workstreams we identified the key actions that could be delivered within the year, and the anticipated outcomes, providing a clear programme of activity for CHDT to work to.

Our approach balanced data‑led decision‑making with collaboration and storytelling, enabling CHDT to act on the climate emergency, support local biodiversity and begin meaningful conversations with its audiences from the outset. We supported them with an action plan that gives CHDT a practical route from strategy to delivery, by creating early wins, establishing robust mechanisms for delivery, and embedding climate action into the life of a historic site.

Find out more:

Historic Dockyard Chatham

Sustainability Strategy with Imperial War Museum