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Paddington gets new green wall and rain garden |
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12 Dec 2014, 4:45 PM
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Paddington, London, is showcasing a new 70m2 green wall and sunken rain garden designed to reduce urban flooding, as part of London’s ‘green revolution’, and co-inciding with the launch of the Paddington Trail and the new film.
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The team - from left to right Jill Blowers, Mark Roth, Ben Fowler, and Cllr Heather Acton
Just around the corner from Paddington Station, London’s historic gateway which sees 61million passengers pass through it each year, the environmental installation will look over bustling Praed Street from the side of historic St Mary’s Hospital, a prominent site in the community, which saw the discovery of penicillin and pioneered the use of robotic surgery. Plants will climb the walls of the hospital’s Winston Churchill building with the sunken rain garden alongside.
Standing 12m tall, the wall will be packed with six different seasonal plant species from blooming Geranium Rozanne and climbing jasmine to natural ivy. The plants have been specially chosen to ensure the wall is in bloom all year round and act as a welcoming home for the birds, butterflies and bees, to create a permanent vibrant focal point for the local area. Around the corner, the 24m2 sunken rain garden will gather water which over time will grow more greenery to form a striking feature for passers by.
Mark Roth, Chairman of PaddingtonNow and General Manager at Hilton London Paddington, says; “Green infrastructure transforms the aesthetics of an area and we feel this is key to improving the Paddington welcome. We are committed to improving Paddington for visitors and have already made great headway with the restoration of Sussex Gardens and decorative greenery across the district. The new installation will be a stunning feature with the added benefit of long-term environmental sustainability for the area.”
Jill Blowers, property manager for St Mary’s Hospital, says, “This project has been a fabulous example of collaboration between various partners for the benefit of the community. I can’t help but feel excited about the benefit that our patients, staff, and visitors will feel from the livening up of our estates and I look forward to seeing it flourish.”
The transformative project came to light following completion of a Green Infrastructure Audit by PaddingtonNow, the Business Improvement District which represents over 350 businesses in the area to the East, South and West of Paddington Station. The audit identified key locations that could be sites for various greening initiatives and PaddingtonNow commissioned the installation as a preventative measure and in recognition of the environmental benefits it will have to the area as a whole.
The wall’s unique design enables it to capture rainwater in dedicated storage tanks. Water collected by the tanks is channelled slowly through the wall, nourishing plant life and helping to reduce the risk of surface water flooding in the area by storing over 120 gallons of water at any time.
Cllr Heather Acton, Westminster City Council cabinet member for sustainability, says, “Great strides have been made in recent years to make Paddington a greener place, and this new green wall is a spectacular addition to the local area.
“Westminster City Council has worked closely with PaddingtonNow to achieve public realm improvements and green infrastructure projects that not only make Paddington a more pleasant place to live, work and visit, but also a healthier one – promoting sustainability, increasing biodiversity and improving air quality. We look forward to continuing this important work together.”
According to the Environment Agency one in four properties in London are at risk of flooding, and flood risk is high in Paddington during periods of heavy rain due to the concentration of buildings and low absorbency of urban surfaces. The project has received a £9,000 grant from the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, through his Drain London programme, co-ordinated by the regeneration agency Cross River Partnership.
In addition, the wall will improve the air quality in the area as the vegetation can trap microscopic pollutants, high levels of which have been shown to cause respiratory illnesses.
The wall was installed and will be maintained by TreeBox Ltd (www.treebox.co.uk).
Armando Raish, managing director of Treebox, says: "The inspiration behind the green wall was to provide as much visual coverage as possible. It is designed based on both aesthetic and function and will bloom with a variety of plants, particularly in the summer, catching the eye of passers-by. Our innovative design ensures the louvres can be passively irrigated by rainwater for up to 80% of the year, with only minimal intervention in the hottest period. The green wall will have a beneficial effect on drainage and is a great way to tackle flooding and air quality issues in London."
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| Positive review of this story |
Jilly Joe  |
12 Dec 2014, 10:26 PM |
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Good I now live in Florida but used to live a few minutes walk away from Paddington. I think this scheme is brilliant!
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