Westminster Schools SuDS Planters

Client

Westminster City Council

Location

Sectors

Products & Services

Project overview

Meristem Design installed custom SuDS Planters across multiple schools in the London borough of Westminster and ran engaging planting workshops for the students to meet the educational and environmental needs of the council and inspire the school children.

Goal

Westminster City Council proposed a borough-wide initiative to increase SuDS and flood management systems in the area. By implementing the scheme into schools, the council wanted to involve students in the process and teach them valuable skills and a sense of ownership in their green spaces.

Scope

The project consisted of the design and installation of 28 custom SuDS planters across five schools in the Westminster Borough. The children were then involved in planting workshops in which they filled the planters with hardy, drought-tolerant plants to ensure year-round sustainability.

Solutions

As part of Westminster City Councils initiative to increase SuDS across the borough, we implemented a range of sustainable solutions to minimise flood risk and maximise green spaces. Along with this, we created engaging and educational workshops to encourage the students to nurture a sense of pride in their planting.

Flood Management Measures

Installed 28 SuDS to capture rainwater and control runoff speed to reduce the risk of flooding.

Tailored Planting Scheme

Plants were strategically selected and adjusted to the amount of shade each planter gets. This was to ensure year-round diversity and plant health.

Planting Workshops

We held planting workshops with the students at the schools to teach them practical planting skills and foster a sense of ownership in their new green spaces.

Engaging Green Spaces

The new SuDS planters add vibrancy and greenery to the urban-heavy school playgrounds.

Impact

This initiative created a wide range of social and environmental benefits for the borough of Westminster. We helped produce greener and healthier playgrounds for students and enhance flood resilience across their concrete-heavy environments.

The planting scheme included:

Thymus vulgaris
Salvia officinalis
Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’
Muehlenbeckia
Origanum vulgare
Lavandula angustifolia
Abelia Grandiflora
Geranium Rozanne

Green Skills

Children gained hands-on experience with planting, learning about plant care and environment responsibility.

Playground Enhancement

The addition of the planters and planting scheme improved the visual appeal and biodiversity of the playground, creating a more engaging and eco-friendly space.

Surface Water Management

The SuDS planters help manage rainfall on-site, reducing runoff and mitigating localised flooding in the playground. With a total of 12,205 litres of water attenuation capacity!