Goodman's Fields in Tower Hamlets has been awarded 'Best Biodiversity Enhancement' at the 2020 Brownfield Awards, recognising the best transformations of brownfield land.
Berkeley's regeneration of the former commercial and chemical storage site includes a new public park, beehives, courtyard landscaping, and wildlife roof gardens designed in partnership with the London Wildlife Trust.
Plans for the new Aldgate neighbourhood focussed on providing areas for biodiverse planting, with 260 new trees and a network of 'green finger' walkways - new pedestrian routes brought to life with seasonal plants.
The small, constrained urban site offered limited opportunities for green space at ground level, so living roofs have also been incorporated throughout to maximise biodiversity impact.
More than 4,600m2 of living roofs now provide valuable habitats for nature, including London's only rooftop chalk meadow. These green spaces create a mosaic of microhabitats on and below the soil's surface, supported by a range of ecological features like log and pebble piles, bat and bird boxes.
Around 100,000 UK-native honeybees now live in the rooftop beehives, sustained by the flora of the neighbouring wildlife garden. The garden is opened up to the public regularly, to raise awareness of the importance of nature recovery and share ideas on how to enhance wildlife.
Visitors can also enjoy the Four Seasons Garden, including an aquatic garden with carefully selected species that thrive in water.
Justin Tibaldi, divisional managing director at Berkeley Homes (Capital), said "We're incredibly proud of what our partnership with London Wildlife Trust has achieved at Goodman's Fields. It's a fantastic example of how we can help biodiversity to recover in any setting, and we know how much local people enjoy sitting in these new gardens and taking in the sights, smells and sounds of nature."