As a part of honouring Coventry LIFTCo - Arden Estate Partnerships' - commitment to increase the biodiversity of the NHS LIFT estate, gbpartnerships Estates Manager, Vicki Ridgway identified an opportunity to have part of the car park area outside the City of Coventry Health Centre, redesigned and landscaped. Transforming the area that had been left unused after cycle racks were removed and making it a much more welcoming environment for patients and staff, along with working towards diversifying the local ecosystem.
The works involved removing the block pavers over approximately 24m² of space, planting two silver birch trees and a wide variety of vibrant plants akin to the rest of the soft landscaping on site.
Left: the space before the landscaping works. Right: afterwards.
Artisits impression of what the planting will look like once matured.
Biodiversity is all the different kinds of life you will find in one area – the range of plants, animals and other organisms that can be found in one ecosystem. For many people, biodiversity is associated with rural areas where you can see the various species of plants and animals thriving, however biodiversity is also especially important in urban areas, such of that, outside the City of Coventry Health Centre.
The plants that have been put in place through this landscaping project will grow over the next few years, as seen in the before and after photos above, and should continue to flourish over the next few years into something similar of the computer-generated impression.
These features can help create cleaner air, introduce new plants into the local ecosystem and provide a habitat for other creatures. Along with also improving the appearance of buildings they live on and don’t take up as much space as traditional green spaces such as trees or parks, whilst still having a big impact!
Read more about the work of Arden Estate Partnerships here: https://www.ardenestatepartnerships.co.uk/