Creating Greener Spaces in Croydon

Creating healthier pockets in our towns: Greening Croydon

Client

Croydon Council

Location

Sectors

Products & Services

Project overview

Working with Croydon Council’s placemaking team and FM Conway, Meristem Design have delivered a range of projects across 3 town centres and community spaces in Croydon, fitting into wider regeneration works undertaken by the council.

A large amount of the latest UKSPF funding was secured to drive these public realm improvements. We have previously worked with Croydon Council on the Thornton Heath nature garden scheme which was funded by UKSPF and we continue to support the borough’s ambitions for greener, more inclusive and better-connected public spaces.

Across the 3 sites Coulsdon, Norbury and South Croydon, we helped bring greenery and biodiversity to the borough to help create people and environmentally-friendly spaces.

Goal

The overall goal of the project was to assist Croydon Council in creating greener, more biodiverse and people-friendly public spaces by designing and delivering tailored green interventions suited to each location. The installations aim to build a healthier public realm whilst supporting Croydon Council’s wider goals of climate resilience, biodiversity and community wellbeing.

Each individual site had it’s own goals and areas of improvement:

Coulsdon – To bring more interesting and interactive infrastructure to the community, boosting biodiveristy and pollinators

Norbury – To create more pleasant pedestrian spaces and high street spaces, while refreshing existing planting infrastructure

South Croydon – To increase the borough’s canopy cover

Scope

The project spanned over a few days of work and consisted of a range of installations including:

Tree planting
Rain garden planting
Design, fabrication and installation of a large bug hotel
Planter refresh
Street furniture installation from our Galanthus range

Solutions

A wide range of green interventions were implemented across the 3 locations which contributed to greener and healthier landscape improvements. Every change made was tailored to suit the combined needs of the council, the community and the environment. At Coulsdon, we designed, fabricated and installed a large bug hotel measuring 3m x 1m that spells the word ‘HIVE’, the name of a local community garden to add character to the space and attract biodiversity.

Tree Planting

We planted 4 new street trees along the South Croydon high street to increase canopy cover, enhance greenery and provide additional shade for pedestrians.

Materials to Attract Wildlife

The bug hotel featured 18 different compartments made up of recycled materials to attract more wildlife to the space including: bamboo, perforated solid hardwood, crushed stones and tiles, reeds and bark.

Refreshed and Replanted Timber Planters

In Norbury, we cleaned up and replanted two large timber planters alongside planting rain gardens and tree pits along the high street.

Long-term Maintenance

Our maintenance team will be looking after these spaces, ensuring the planting stays fresh, trees stay healthy and the planters remain in good condition to ensure the longevity of the installations.

Impact

The range of green interventions has created more pleasant and biodiverse public spaces, contributing to Croydon Council’s goals of a healthier, more welcoming borough. Taking place along 3 busy locations, the project has helped shape climate resilient areas of high footfall which were previously dominated by hard, grey surfaces.

A More Sustainable Public Realm

Each installation was centred around introducing greenery to Croydon which will in turn, boost biodiversity, assist with flood management, help clean the air and create more canopy cover for the borough.

Engaging Spaces

The bug hotel we designed and installed featured many compartments for the community group and children to observe, acting as a great tool for learning about local wildlife.

Greener, More Enjoyable Streets

Introducing rain gardens, habitats, trees and more plants help to create a more positive and uplifting environment, particularly when the streetscape was previously hard, flat and lifeless.

More Places for Rest

Our street furniture components that feature integrated seating provide more spaces for people to stop and rest along the high street, allowing them to break up their journeys and spend time in the area.