Oxford’s first Living Roof bus shelter installed in East Oxford

The Living Roof bus shelter – also known as a ‘Bee Bus Stop’- is located on Morrell Avenue, is part of work to support native biodiversity, and to help create healthier local communities.

As well as being visually attractive, ‘Living Roofs’ provide many benefits, including absorbing rainwater to avoid flooding, provide natural cooling to counteract the effects of ‘urban heat islands’ , filtering fine dust from the air, producing oxygen, and providing a natural habitat for animals and plants.

The work to install the new bus shelter roof was funded and organised by ODS, as part of their work to support biodiversity, and manage street furniture across the city.

The location was selected by Oxford City Council, which owns the shelter. It was designed and installed by partner Clear Channel, who will be maintaining it for the entirely of its life-span, at no cost to the tax-payer.

The installation follows in the footsteps of other cities across the UK also installing green roof bus stops, such as Glasgow, Cardiff, Brighton and Leicester.

What is a Living Roof?

The Clear Channel Living Roof, is planted with a mix of native wildflowers and Sedum plants – ideal food sources and habitats for a wide variety of pollinating insects including solitary bees, hoverflies and butterflies. 

The purpose-designed roof contains a specially designed gravel and compost mix, helping to create deeper roots for healthier flowers long term and ensure climate resilience, while also being simple to maintain.

The materials used in the Living Roof are 100% recycled or upcycled, and are fully recyclable with nothing being taken to landfill.

The Living Roof product has been assessed and verified in conjunction with The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, who’s independent third party ecologists have afforded it the highest significance category under Natural England’s Biodiversity Metric 3.0 of “High strategic significance”, and would make a significant contribution to delivering Biodiversity Net Gain. Find out more on the Clear Channel website.

For the full article, please visit – https://www.oxford.gov.uk/news/article/2044/oxford_s_first_living_roof_bus_shelter_installed_in_east_oxford