NEW GREEN ROOFS FOR CAMDEN ESTATE

16 June 2006

Camden Council today (16 June 2006) opened its first new style green roof on a housing estate in Kilburn, North London. The green roofs will feature a range of grasses and flowering plants that will not only look beautiful but also benefit the environment.

These new and very unusual green spaces will attract a greater variety of wildlife and birds and help save energy by keeping the estate cool in the summer and warm in the winter. By protecting the roof from damage it should mean it lasts twice as long as normal. The green roofs will also help reduce flooding during storms and heavy rain by absorbing water and slowing water flow into the drains.

The 600 square metres of green roof is part of a £0.75 million redevelopment of Goldsmith Place, a 43 home estate in Kilburn. The work includes new double-glazing, improved security and general refurbishment work. The green roofs will feature a range of grasses and flowering plants such as Sedums, Lady’s Mantle (alchemilla mollis), Red Fleece Flower (persicaria darjeeling red) and Blue Moor Grass (seslaria caerulea).

Deputy Mayor of London, Nicky Gavron joined Camden Council’s Eco Champion, Cllr Alexis Rowell and residents of Goldsmith Place Estate to help add the finishing touches to the new roof and highlight the importance of sustainable construction and biodiversity.

Cllr Alexis Rowell, Camden Council’s new Eco Champion, said: “Green roofs like this are a fantastic example of how to rethink our urban landscape using sustainable methods. They help save energy by improving insulation, protect the building from damage, encourage wildlife, and they’re quite simply delightful to look at.”

Doris Whitehorn (85) was one of the first residents to move into Goldsmith Place when it was built in 1957. Standing on the green roof directly above her home, she said: “It’s funny to think that that my kitchen is just below here. It’s really beautiful and I’d like to see more green roofs everywhere. I’m a keen gardener and I really cherish green areas and the benefit they can have for everyone.”

Chris Naylor, Camden Council’s Executive Member for Housing, said: “Camden Council is committed to sustainable construction in its housing. It has set aside an extra £300K over the next four years to ensure that it uses certified sustainable timber in all capital projects and to trial green projects, such as the use green roofs. As well as the new Green Roof on Goldsmith Place, the council will be installing solar panels on the Holly Lodge Estate and secure cycle storage on Mortimer Estate.”

Deputy Mayor Nicky Gavron said: “I would like to congratulate Camden Council on this timely and important initiative. Green roofs are an idea whose time has come. First they reduce London’s impact on climate change and secondly they help adaptation to changing climatic conditions. Roofs are some of the capital’s most underused assets. As well as creating new outdoor spaces that improve peoples’ quality of life roofs like this can deliver a whole range of other benefits including enhanced biodiversity, reduced flood risk through absorption of rain, and keeping homes cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The Mayor’s Living Roof guide encourages exactly this kind of initiative.”

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