STEWARDSHIP, integrity and commercialism are the flags under which the Crown Estate ship sails.

The organisation manages a property portfolio worth £7.3 billion. The Crown Estate includes properties ranging from beef farms and forests to coastlines, parkland and most of London's Regent Street.

This year, as every year, the Crown Estate ploughed its profits of £211.4 million back into the Treasury to benefit schemes for the UK taxpayer.

In the marine environment, this year alone it has invested in a new marina for Wick in northern Scotland, it completed purchase of Burnham Yacht Harbour in Essex last month, Deganwy Marina in Wales in January, and Scotland's Rhu Marina in April.

The estate proclaims: "There is no organisation in the world quite like The Crown Estate — and the role of the Crown Estate has never been more important than it is today.

"The Crown Estate's role as employer, influencer, manager, guardian, facilitator and revenue creator is unique."

Their commitment to community is also clearly emphasised: "We have chosen 'sustainable communities,' as a high level commitment. We believe vibrant and thriving communities (both human and natural) underpin the long-term value of our estate and we want to contribute to their continued vitality.

"We seek to do this by working in partnership and identifying opportunities for inward investment; listening to views when undertaking development projects; contributing to affordable housing; acting as a good neighbour and supporting community initiatives consistent with our corporate responsibility objectives."