South Kensington is a place many people live, work, study and visit. At least 22 million people a year come through this neighbourhood. Our ambition in this programme is to work collectively, and with local stakeholders to make South Ken as supportive of nature and biodiversity as possible and resilient to the ravages of a changing climate.
The UK is the most biodiversity depleted country in Europe - our urban spaces especially so. our ambition is for urban nature to thrive here, in our gardens and courtyards, but also in the public realm.
Strategic planting can support urban nature, including pollinators. It makes streets cooler, lest wind-blown, more welcoming and shady, and makes people more likely to enjoy and appreciate a neighbourhood. This can in turn, enhance health and wellbeing. Planting can also reduce flooding by absorbing run-off from rain whilst also supporting habitats for native wildlife.
But more than that, we want all the choices we make in our operations to have positive knock-ons for nature. This means ensuring that we are recycling and using recycled materials where possible, making sure we make purchases with sustainability and resilience in mind, and encouraging all those who come through our doors to do their part too.
Take a look at some examples of what is already happening in the neighbourhood.