Green infrastructure for Woodberry Down, Hackney, East London

Background
Woodberry Down in Hackney, East London is one of the largest regeneration projects in the UK, to be phased over 20 years and designed to provide a mix of 4,500+ homes and community facilities.

The task
The Ecology Consultancy’s most recent work there has been at Kick Start Site 3 carrying out a preliminary ecological appraisal, protected species risk assessment, bat emergence surveys, tree inspections, Code for Sustainable Homes assessment, biodiverse green roof and bird and bat box specification.

Provision for wildlife was a condition of outline planning permission for the site. Input into ecological masterplanning at an early stage and working closely with the Design Team has safeguarded existing ecology.
Working with The Green Roof Consultancy, we produced significant enhancements for biodiversity and Green Infrastructure (GI), including:

• 2000m² of biodiverse green roofs with PV panels configured to maximise their value
• Extensive sustainable drainage system using vegetated swales
• Native landscape planting including trees, shrubs, marginal vegetation and bulbs
• 1100m² of native wildflower and wet grassland meadows
• Deadwood habitat piles for invertebrates such as stag beetle
• 26 bird boxes (3 model types)
• 9 bat roosting boxes (3 model types) including long-term monitoring
• Recommendations for invasive plant species treatment
• Retention and enhancement of key bat foraging habitat
• Recommendations for a sensitive lighting strategy
• Measures to mitigate potential impacts on wintering birds, bats, retained trees and the adjacent New River and Stoke Newington Reservoir Local Wildlife Site

The outcome
The major enhancements are evident by maximum credits awarded under the CfSH category ‘Eco 4 - Change of Ecological Value of Site’.