by Holly Chapman | 23 Jul 25 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
The Royal Parks charity has been awarded with the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM)’s Climate and Nature Action 2030 Award for its research on the relationship between plant diversity and soil health.
The study found that grassland areas with a diversity of plant species had healthier soils which store more carbon.
Made possible by the People’s Postcode Lottery, the research also found the potential for urban grassland to act as significant carbon sinks, contributing to climate change mitigation.
Undertaken in partnership with Greengage Environmental and London Wildlife Trust, the project samples soils across different grassland to research undisturbed and disturbed spaces.
Andrew Scattergood, chief executive of The Royal Parks charity comments on winning the ecology award:
“In the face of the climate emergency The Royal Parks charity’s research and monitoring work becomes an increasingly important tool in conserving the Royal Parks for future generations.”
Scattergood also looks to the future where the charity will continue to integrate soil health and biodiversity monitoring into everyday management practices.
by Holly Chapman | 17 Apr 25 | Commercial Landscaping, Landscape Architecture, News
Planning approval has been granted for Jersey’s new Acute Hospital at Overdale, with a design that favours ecology.
The new £710 facility’s strategy, designed by employee-owned consultancy LDA Design, is expected to achieve a biodiversity net gain of 31%.
Achievable through the enhancement of existing surrounding woodlands and hedgerows, as well as the establishment of a new woodland.
Part of the commission includes optimising the maritime woodland to improve conditions for native Jersey Pines and improving biodiversity; including the removal of invasive species such as the dominant Holm Oak.
Acute hospital, Overdale, garden
A mixed planting scheme will also be incorporated to the space, with a majority of the facility’s roofscapes hosting green roofs.
The design from LDA draws on research studying the relationship between views of nature and patient wellbeing and recovery.
With ward windows set to be low enough to see views over woodland and St Aubin’s Bay, owing to the site’s typography.
The new facility will also include a radiology and maternity unit with more than 200 overnight beds.
A plan to achieve a biodiversity net gain (BNG) of 31%, there will be enhancements to existing woodland and hedgerows as well as new woodland, planting mixes and green roofs. The open space will also be publicly accessible.
The new hospital will feature biodiverse and extensive green roofs on the majority of roofscapes.
Llewelyn Davies joins the project as lead architect, with Arup on board for civil engineering and Temple for planning.
Construction will begin later this year, and is expected to be completed in 2028.
by Bethany Vann | 19 Sep 23 | Nature & Biodiversity, News, Topics
Nature-based solutions provider, Land Studio is expanding with the launch of a new ecology division, ahead of the Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) legislation being introduced in November.
The division will be headed up by director of ecology Val Gateley and will provide a range of services, including “ecological surveys, biodiversity net gain assessments, habitat creation, enhancement and restoration,” says Simon Richards, managing director of Land Studio.
“We look at all our projects from a holistic perspective that considers both the built and natural environments in equal measure,” adds Richards.
“This streamlined approach will create high quality integrate design solutions and save our clients time and money, removing the need to engage multiple consultants to address the requirements of a project.”
The Chester based group became the first nature-led landscape architecture practice of its size in the UK to have an in-house civil engineering and sustainable drainage design division, and now operates throughout the UK.
