FEATURE
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6 way through to York Way, where there are remnants of old parkland trees and green spaces. The greening of King’s Cross is not limited to the ground: more than 15 green roofs have been sown and planted over the last eight or nine years, mostly at eight or more floors up. These are a valuable asset in the food library for wildlife: on the roof of 2 Pancras Square, a mallard duck nested in among the lavender plants and raised her ducklings there before leaping to the ground with them – much to the consternation of passing members of the public! Pied wagtails, robins, crows and a blackbird also all use this garden as a food site, feasting on thousands of invertebrates over the course of the season. Blackbirds treat the podium garden on the Tapestry Building as their own personal takeaway, shouting loudly at any interference from humans. Despite this, these roofs are generally quieter – they are privately managed and more sheltered than the gardens on the ground, so the birds can get on with life with minimal disturbance. As more areas on the estate are completed, the diversity of the planting is enhanced, with each designer bringing their own ethos to the gardens. New varieties of flowers and shrubs prolong the
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Kings Cross biodiversity.indd 27
7 seasons; new species of trees provide shelter for wildlife; new areas of turf give places to rest and play for the gulls, pigeons and crows. This biodiversity has enabled the garden management team to forego the use of pesticides – the natural predators on site deal with any aphid and caterpillar attacks. Leaving plant material to stand overwinter also provides a hibernation habitat for predatory insects; when the spring cutback takes place, the overwintering insects have moved into the hedges and evergreen shrubs, ready for the summer bounty. As the public realm grows, the number of people using the estate increases, putting extra demands on the landscaping. The design of the spaces, however, aids the thoroughfare of people by taking out ‘pinch points’ and providing smooth passage between areas. Many visitors come specifically to engage with the landscape, taking pictures of the planting and enjoying the green spaces and the wildlife – either around the canal and its environs, or while sitting in the various gardens. It is pleasing to see these spaces providing the benefits they were designed for – little escapes from the stresses of modern city life.
“THE NESTING BIRDS THROUGH THIS CORRIDOR ARE NOW FINDING AND USING THE NEW GARDENS AT KINGS CROSS AS A FOOD SOURCE, GATHERING CATERPILLARS, LARVAE AND SEEDS DURING NESTING TIME”
1 4 Pancras Building Roof Garden pond 2 Triplets Roof Gardens 3 Handyside Park canal side and brown roof with meadow seed mix 4 Wildfowl on Regents Canal 5 Pancras Square Pond 6 St Pancras Lock next to the Gasholder Triplets 7 Wildfowl nesting in front of Handyside Park
Willerby Landscapes Willerby Landscapes is a leading commercial landscaping company based at Four Elms, near Edenbridge in Kent. It specialises in all disciplines associated with the installation and ongoing maintenance of hard and soft landscape schemes, water features and specialist planters. W: www.willerby-landscapes.co.uk
FutureArch April 2018
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