Supporting a safe return to our shopping centres and retail parks A guide to the procedures and protocols we’ve implemented to help maintain a safe and healthy environment across our shopping centres and retail parks.

July 2020

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Peace of mind

Since the UK entered lockdown, we have focused on working with our customers, helping them to contin-ue to trade where appropriate and reopen safely and securely when possible.

Today, all of our retail places are open and we are supporting our retail and leisure occupiers to re-open wherever appropriate, while prioritising the safety and welfare of people who visit and work at our assets.

Our spaces have been adapted to comply with the Government’s new ‘COVID-19 Secure’ guidelines.We would like to continue to work collaboratively with you to ensure that our plans are aligned and so we can best support you.

In the meantime, we hope this document provides helpful insight into the guiding principles that under-pin our approach to managing the safe repopulation of our shopping centres and retail parks.

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Enhanced hygiene and cleaning measures

To ensure everyone’s safety, we’ve enhanced our cleaning regimes and implemented additional personal hygiene measures.

We’ve made it easy for everyone to keep their hands clean with the installation of hand sanitiser dispensers. Where appropriate these have been installed at points of entry and around high footfall areas, such as food courts, next to ATMs, lifts, interactive screens, locker rooms and car park touch points.

Key touchpoints and shared areas (toilet facilities and changing rooms) are being disinfected with anti-viral products throughout and at the end of each day, and deep cleaned regularly.

We’re increasing the provision of PPE for all of our staff. At our covered centres you will see our teams wearing face coverings and, where appropriate, gloves in public areas. We’ve also installed plexiglass screen barriers at our visitor and reception desks.

We have removed any unnecessary items from shared areas, such as food trays, magazines, guides, maps, books, leaflets, stationery, coffee machines, microwaves and fruit baskets. We’ll also restrict access to water fountains and vending machines.

All toilet facilities feature signage that encourages everyone to follow Government guidance on handwashing. Where our assets have public toilets then these are available for use and benefit from our enhanced cleaning programme.

Wherever possible, we’ve implemented a ‘zero touch’ journey through entrances and exits, and within the mall/ shared areas.

Our cleaning teams will be visible throughout the day. In food courts, we have implemented queuing areas and signage politely asking diners to clear their tables after use.

Some click and collect services and the provision of lockers have been suspended until it is safe to resume services.

Supporting social distancing

We have installed floor markers and other signage to encourage social distancing and to avoid dwelling both inside and outside our centres/retail parks. This includes but is not limited to signage on stairways, escalators and lifts, and at car parks, taxi ranks and smoking shelters. Public address announcements have been deployed where appropriate.

We are carefully monitoring visitor numbers to our centres to ensure social distancing measures remain in place and to prevent overcrowding. Additional security personnel and car parking marshals will be deployed if necessary.

We are working closely with all of our retailers to ensure that as far as possible, queues outside of stores either inside centres or within walkways at retail parks are kept to a minimum. Please note that retailers are responsible for management of queues outside and within their stores. To help our customers monitor capacity in store, an interactive capacity calculator tool is available via the BL:Comm App. Please contact our retail support team for more details (retailsupport@britishland.com).

Shared public areas and furniture such as seating and benches have been adapted to allow for extra space, and we will restrict access where appropriate. Children’s play areas and kiddie rides will remain closed until it is safe to reopen them.

We are working with our retailers to encourage contactless payments wherever possible.

We have reviewed our evacuation procedures to ensure that, as practically as possible, everyone can maintain a safe distance. We have postponed planned fire drills until further notice (ensuring all staff are fully informed and have fire evacuation training).

Our Fire Risk Assessments and Evacuation Strategies have been temporarily modified to reduce stairwell usage volumes.

One-way or keep left/right systems with clear, practical signage have been implemented wherever feasible.

Where feasible, our car parking facilities have been reconfigured to enable all visitors to maintain a safe distance, while still supporting priority disabled and parent & child access. It may also be necessary to close car parks to manage capacity levels within centres / retail parks.

We have implemented signage inside and outside of lifts, advising on revised occupancy numbers and promoting good ‘lift etiquette’.

We may have to restrict services such as Shopmobility to existing users, until we are able to provide familiarisation sessions that allow for safe social distancing. This is being reviewed on an ongoing basis and will be amended as soon as is feasibly possible.

We are closely monitoring deliveries to ensure no congestion within service areas.

No public events are scheduled on-site until further notice.

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Our measures are designed to help everyone feel comfortable and safe in our spaces, as well as arriving and departing from them.

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Preparing our building and back office systems

As our buildings remained operational throughout the lockdown period, we continued to undertake all of the statutory checks to ensure fire safety equipment and life safety systems operated safely and effectively. To manage the safe return to full operations, we undertook the following steps:

Safely reinstated any previously disconnected or isolated electrical supplies.

Refilling / flushing through all water systems, and ensuring quality and hygiene checks are in place. Ensuring all taps and sentinel outlets had been run for a minimum of 5 minutes; any hot water storage calorifiers had been pasteurised and all toilet cisterns have been flushed; and operation of float valves checked.

Ensuring all fire fighting equipment and life safety systems had been checked for faults and correct operation.

Regular deep cleaning of all communal areas.

Ensuring all first aid kits included face masks, non-latex gloves and one-way resuscitation shields are provided to enable first aiders to perform their duties safely.

Carried out a thorough examination and test of any lifts, escalators, generators and equipment that had been out of use, including fuel quality and ensuring lifts and generators had been test run prior to re-occupation.

Reinstating arrangements for water sampling to be undertaken, and ensuring all water treatment logbooks are up to date.

Reviewing lighting so that, where it is not automatically controlled, a system has been implemented to minimise contact with switches.

Checking all areas have adequate ventilation, including switching off air curtains.

From a health and safety perspective all of our buildings are fully compliant and operating on a ‘business as usual’ basis

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Working with service partners and contractors

We outsource our building services teams across each of our properties. They play a vital role for British Land in helping to create a safe environment across our properties.

Our site teams are already working closely with our service partners and contractors to ensure a joined-up approach. This includes ensuring that the policies mapped out within this document are followed, and are reflected in risk assessments, method statements and any other key documentation.

We will support service partners and contractors with practical recommendations to continue to ease their process of return, including rotational teams wherever possible.

We have implemented a weekly operational review with service partners to discuss updates to Government guidance or regulations, new procedures, changes to plans, and any suggestions for improvement.

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Our commitment to you

Close collaboration and a tailored approach

Having a clear and open line of communication is vital in making sure our procedures and protocols are embedded effectively and work for both you and your staff.

We want to continue speak to you regularly (ideally with your ‘social distancing champion’) to discuss opening plans, changes in procedures and to obtain feedback.

Practical guidance, every step of the way

Wherever possible, our site teams are available to help you by making practical recommendations to ease the process of return to business as usual, including:

• Guiding you through the statutory processes all retailers need to take.

• Queue management protocols.

• Social distancing measures.

• Enhanced hygiene regimes.

Helping you to reassure your customers

We know that many of your customers will want to be reassured that it is safe to visit. As outlined in previous sections, we are installing clear signage across our centres and parks to help maintain social distancing and have introduced enhanced cleaning and hygiene measures.

Your usual British Land contact is still available. For any specific Operations questions, please contact our Director of Operations, Mark Evans at Mark.Evans@britishland.com

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