COMMENT Can new homes protect, or even enhance, the natural environment? Some objectors, or nimbys, will say development is a zero-sum game. In their eyes, every consent granted or hard-fought appeal won is an advance of urban sprawl at the expense of Britain’s valuable green spaces.
The notion that high-quality green infrastructure, nature conservation and biodiversity cannot coexist with – or be enhanced by – new buildings is false. We can have both. Now more than ever, developers are compelled in legislation, policy, market observances and the way they consult with the public, to actively integrate nature-based solutions into their scheme designs.
Above and beyond
Expectations in the sector are changing. Some of this is due to top-down intervention. The introduction of the Environment Act 2021, which requires all new developments from the end of 2023 to have a net biodiversity gain of 10%, is the latest hurdle – and sits alongside retaining and introducing new trees where possible, as required by the NPPF.
In London, legislation goes further as City Hall has ambitions for more than half of the capital to be green by 2050, and the draft London Plan contains a minimum Urban Greening Factor, a tool that evaluates both quality and quantity of how developments implement green infrastructure. All developments across London, whether residential or commercial, must meet or exceed targets.
Other changes in the sector are market-driven. The E and S in ESG grow in their scope each day. This might give the impression that the sector needs regulation to stave off bad habits, but developers seeking community buy-in will go above and beyond this threshold. From the smallest urban infill to more comprehensive green belt masterplanning, developers are recognising that their licence to operate relies on meeting the more stringent requirements of investor, political and public stakeholders alongside environmental and climate legislation.
Integrating nature-based solutions into development can have huge positive effects with little extra legwork. Peering across the channel, Parisian masterplanners are using urban greening to not only create a more desirable place for people, but also improve air quality and biodiversity. The Champs-Élysées lies in the heart of Europe’s most densely populated city. Although Parisians rarely stroll along their famous avenue overcrowded with tourists and cars, the Champs-Élysées is now being transformed into an “extraordinary garden”. The 1.8km road will see half of the lanes for cars replaced by green infrastructure. By reintroducing high-quality urban greening, masterplanners hope to rekindle the connection between people and the natural environment.
If successful, the benefits of this plan will impact surrounding real estate as shops draw footfall, companies relocate to the district and housing becomes attractive. Beyond the commercial benefits, introducing greenery onto this avenue is worth the trouble purely for cleaner air and more beautiful streets.
On a residential development level, nature can be inserted into almost any scheme. Take 101 on Cleveland, W1, where our design incorporates two podium-level gardens between three apartment buildings on a constrained urban site in the centre of Fitzrovia.
The rich palette and herbaceous planting mixes create a seasonally evolving backdrop, with defined spaces for a range of activities – from picnic areas to reading nooks to playspace. As architects, we work with challenging briefs, but even in space-limited sites in central London, biodiversity can thrive and shape the resident’s experience.
Green premium
Biodiversity can also unlock previously undesirable land. At Great West Quarter in Hounslow, Westgate House’s 10-storey glazed atrium creates a physical acoustic barrier between the new apartments and adjacent M4 motorway, while the full-height green wall and plants purify the air, mitigating traffic pollution.
Creating green space in unconventional places is a “green premium” that we cannot ignore. If developers prioritise landscape architecture, they can create designs that are visually appealing and demonstrably good for mental health – without jeopardising their bottom line.
Now is our time to seize this unprecedented confluence of commercial, social and environmental forces and rebrand our cities as hubs of greenery where nature is both welcome and thrives.
Gareth Rowe is associate landscape architect at Assael Architecture
