Creating Cleaner, Greener Streets: Additional Greenery for Harrow Town Centre
Client
Harrow Council
Location
Sectors
Products & Services
Project overview
Meristem Design have collaborated with Harrow Council to deliver a major initiative to revitalise the town centre, creating a safer, greener, and more inviting environment for residents and visitors. The project focused on improving public spaces, street hygiene, and the overall aesthetic appeal of the area. Works were carried out in three phases, transforming key streets and recreation areas into vibrant community spaces.
Goal
The primary aim of the project was to enhance the town centre’s accessibility, safety, and visual appeal, while supporting local businesses and encouraging community engagement. Improvements were designed to improve and increase sustainable green infrastructure, and create spaces where people could comfortably spend time. The project also sought to strengthen Harrow as a shopping and leisure destination by making it more attractive and welcoming.
Scope
This project focused on streetscape improvements, the installation of planters and bin stores to enhance street hygiene and overall green space. Key areas of intervention included College Road, Greenhill Way and Kimberley Road. The project included 19 planters outside the shopping centre, 34 planters with ivy green screens, and 5 bin stores with integrated planters connected to roof downpipes. These interventions aimed to combine functional improvements with aesthetic enhancements, supporting both biodiversity, sustainability and more pleasant public spaces.
Solutions
The project implemented a range of greening interventions to improve safety, biodiversity and the visual environment of Harrow town centre. These solutions focused on integrating greenery with practical infrastructure to create a more inviting and sustainable public realm.
Green Screens
34 planters filled with ivy green screens were installed along pedestrian-heavy Kimberley Road to map out a green corridor that creates a more natural backdrop to the hard surfaces.
Bin Stores
5 bin stores with planters attached were installed to keep rubbish off the streets and create a more pleasant and welcoming environment.
Planters
19 additional planters placed outside the shopping centre offer aesthetic improvements, boost biodiversity and encourage pedestrians to spend more time in the town centre.
Water Management
Downpipes from bike shelter roofs feed directly into the attached planters, ensuring rainwater supports plant growth, reduces runoff, and creates a more environmentally friendly streetscape
Impact
The project has improved Harrow town centre by creating a safer, greener, and more welcoming environment for residents and visitors. By combining greenery with upgrades to infrastructure, it encourages people to spend more time in public spaces while supporting local businesses. The enhancements also contribute to stronger community engagement and improved environmental outcomes.
Increased Green Coverage
The green screens, planters and bike shed planting increases overall green cover, motivating biodiversity and pollinators to sustain the greenery.
Enhanced Waste Management
Bin stores improve the organisation and concealment of rubbish bins, helping to keep streets cleaner and more visually appealing.
Improved Public Wellbeing
Green corridors and planters create a more pleasant environment for residents and visitors, improving the areas sense of identity.
Enhanced Visual Appeal
Planters and greenery improve the visual appeal of the town centre, making it more inviting and encouraging people to spend time in public spaces.
View gallery
Featured products, landscapes & services
Green Screens
Green screens, sometimes called green living screens, are vertical structures with living plants that can be installed on walls, fences or used as freestranding structures. They add natural beauty into urban environments while delivering many environmental and health benefits.
Custom Planters
Combining functionality with a style that fits any aesthetic, each planter is crafted with care to suit your location and enhance the space. Helping to add greenery to both indoor and outdoor areas, planters create welcoming spaces that benefit people, businesses and the environment.
SuDS Planters
Our SuDS planters are designed to manage rainwater sustainably in urban environments. By incorporating natural elements like vegetation, these innovative systems slow the flow of water, reducing runoff and the risk of flooding.
Design
We specialise in designing beautiful, sustainable urban greening solutions and products that bring nature into public, commercial and residential spaces. From concept to final design, we work closely with clients to ensure that every element is crafted to meet their unique needs, aesthetic preferences, and sustainability goals.
Fabrication
We provide high-quality, in-house fabrication services tailored to the needs of urban greening projects. Composed of skilled welders and carpenters, our fabrication team brings each project from concept to completion using precision and exceptional craftsmanship.
Get in touch
If you like what you've seen in our case study and want to learn more about how this could work in your setting, please get in touch.
"*" indicates required fields