An insect garden designed by Tom Massey has been given a permanent home at Stratford Cross in London.

First designed for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2023, the move comes as a partnership between the Royal Entomological Society and Lendlease with funding also coming from Project Giving Back and Shift.

The centrepiece of the garden is an outdoor laboratory, inspired by an insect eye and designed as a hub for education and interaction.

Tom Massey, designer of the Royal Entomological Society Garden, says: “The vast majority of the UK’s population live in urban areas, so we must consider brownfield sites as important for biodiversity as more rural locations.

“Stratford Cross is a fantastic example of how it’s possible to deliver a sustainable built environment that prioritises benefits for both people and nature.”

This summer the garden will host an augmented reality ‘bug hunt’ featuring animation studio Aardman’s ‘Lloyd of the Flies’.

Using Aardman’s augmented reality app, visitors can explore the Royal Entomological Society Garden and other green spaces, learning about insects through an interactive experience.

It will also be used as part of an adult learning course on biodiversity thanks to a collaboration between the Royal Entomological Society (RES) and Newham Council.

Guy Thomas, head of retail & place assets at Lendlease, adds: “Sustainability, innovation, and collaboration run through everything we do at Stratford Cross. Nestled just a stone’s throw from some of the world’s most famous cultural and academic institutions at the East Bank, including UCL and the V&A, the new Royal Entomological Society Garden will embody all these values.

“It will not only promote biodiversity and local wildlife in Stratford but be a shared resource for education and research for all ages.”

It marks the second time in just over two months that Massey has had a garden selected for a future relocation with support from Project Giving Back after a prominent display at a show, with his WaterAid Garden set to move to Manchester.