City’s green aspirations bring a buzz to bus stops

Leicester residents and visitors may have little idea that an urban transformation is taking place just feet above their heads thanks to a ground-breaking initiative to green the city and support ecological diversity.

Two city centre thoroughfares – Humberstone Gate and Charles Street – have seen 30 new bus stops springing up over the summer sporting one key distinguishing feature. Living roofs. 

Affectionally nicknamed ‘bee bus stops’, the shelters form part of Leicester City Council’s ambition to be a carbon neutral and climate-adapted city by 2030 while delivering an invaluable boost to the locality’s biodiversity, most notably pollinating insects. Such a large network of living roofs is a first for a UK city and an important step forward in tackling the decline of urban greenery, flora and fauna. 

To deliver the bee bus stops, out of home advertising and infrastructure company Clear Channel UK – operator of Leicester’s bus shelters – partnered with leading British living roof manufacturer Wallbarn to install its award-winning modular green roof system M-Tray. 

Wallbarn Director Julian Thurbin said: “This is an absolutely fantastic project, providing the city with a ‘bee superhighway’ and all the many recognised benefits of living roofs. It’s showcased how adaptable the modular system is and what can be achieved by uniting street furniture and green roofs, providing the people of Leicester with splashes of greenery that will change with the seasons.”

For more on this story, please visit – https://greenscapemag.co.uk/online-magazine/ – Autumn 2021, pages 12 & 13