SuDS, Trees and Brownfield
In the UK, mainland Europe and beyond, planners and elected representatives all face a common problem – namely, that there is pressure to house and provide essential services and infrastructure to meet the rapidly changing and diversifying needs of our increasingly populated urban environments. When the question of developing greenfield sites is mooted, there is […]
The GreenBlue Interface
GreenBlue operates as the interface between nature and the built environment, having a vision of creating healthy urban spaces in harmony with nature. The GreenBlue team pride themselves on values consisting of customer focus, ensuring that you are at the centre of our business decisions, with a reliable service and a passion for positivity. GreenBlue […]
Top Tips for Getting Winter Ready!
Designing and maintaining landscapes that not only provide vibrant, colour throughout the summer but also easily handle the bleak conditions of winter is certainly a challenge! The most effective strategy is often to utilise hardy herbaceous plants (groundcovers, perennials, grasses, and annuals), that die back in the winter, enabling exposure to harsh conditions that transform […]
Plant a Tree for 23
National Tree Week is finally here, time to get the wellies on and venture outside to plant a tree that will thrive in 2023, join us for our annual #letsgetplanting campaign! Trees and hedgerows are some of the most powerful resources in mitigating climate change. The critical factor of this method is that we can all […]
Let’s Get Planting – National Tree Week
As the winter nights draw in those daily walks become shortened as the day becomes dark and we wait for weekends to enjoy those crisp autumnal walks along our valuable public green space. Consequently, at GreenBlue we feel that now is a perfect opportunity to celebrate National Tree Week. 27th November – 5th December sees the most significant […]
Onsite or Offsite, the Biodiversity Dilemma
Biodiversity net gain: three words that might strike terror into the heart of someone who wishes to build on their land. What is it, and how can I comply with upcoming legislation? The BNG legislation included within the Environment Act 2021 is simply a requirement to increase measurable biodiversity on a designated parcel of land by a minimum of […]
Getting Autumn Ready – Let’s Get Planting!
It’s time to wish the summer of 2022 goodbye. The leaves are falling from the trees, the darker evenings are setting in, yet nature continues to grow. With tree planting season upon us, the well-known statement: “Right tree, Right place, for the right reason and in the right way” comes to the forefront of our minds once again. […]
How Much Space is Required for SuDS?
Early in the development process comes the allocation of land for buildings, paving, open space and drainage requirements – usually this allocation is reflected in the value of the land. The land is a diminishing resource, and to make profits, developers have to allocate land in the most effective way. For generations, the percentage of […]
Resources to Enable Green Infrastructure Targets
When designing a new development proposal, how many times have you received pushback with regard to how much green infrastructure is on your plans? Too little? Too much? No matter how big or small, and no matter what the current state of the plot is, we must demonstrate a measurable increase in the biodiversity fostered […]
Bringing Nature to your Doorstep
Biodiversity surrounds us in our everyday lives without us even noticing, from the birds in the trees above us, to the worms in the soil beneath the insects that fly around us and us. We live in a world where nature came first, yet with all the publicity of climate change, we still continue to […]
LTOA assessing Tree Establishment in Hackney!
Street tree planting is a much-debated subject, and one about which everyone involved has their own opinion; what tree species, how much soil volume, maintenance requirements, potential pavement breakup, leaf litter, vandalism and many other challenges are regular issues which we at GreenBlue Urban face every day. The London Borough of Hackney probably has the […]
Green Sports Stadiums are Leading the Way!
There is no better feeling than being a part of a significant sporting event, feeling the positive outburst of support amongst the crowd. The anticipation of intense competitions, the togetherness of the chanting spectators, live sporting coverage by various platforms and the nervousness and excitement from the athletes themselves as they walk onto the arena […]
8th September – A Date to Remember
Our 30-year celebrations came to a close with our final event held at London’s most technologically advanced venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which took place on the 8th of September, alongside industry colleagues and friends. The GreenBlue team welcomed guests with an extraordinary pitch view, with the famous Tottenham emblem of a gold cockerel standing tall above. […]
Greening Our School Infrastructure
As part of the Levelling up White Paper, government initiatives pledged £1bn to rebuild schools and set out to improve classroom capacity and targets achieved, with recent guidance for local authorities to support in and out of the classroom. The mission for education: for 90% of pupils to achieve the expected standard in reading, writing […]
Resources for Resilience Webinar
Last week GreenBlue Urban had the privilege of hosting a webinar entitled “Resources for Resilience” following previous sessions where attendees has clearly signalled that there was a desire for better implementation of green infrastructure to help with climate change mitigation, but a lack in the understanding of the “how”. Joining us on the webinar were […]
Understanding SuDS Maintenance
One of the greatest worries about the implementation of sustainable drainage features is maintenance. The long term implications of these desirable multi-functional blue-green nature-based solutions seem to frighten planners and developers because the facts and figures for maintenance are not easy to access. The truth is that most SuDS features are low maintenance; no landscape […]
Urban Tree Planting: Guaranteeing Long-Term Success
After almost 3 1/2 years after it was first published the Environment Bill has now been passed by Parliament as law. A significant goal for all that includes improvements to air quality, biodiversity, water and waste reduction, halting a decline in species by 2030. With Climate Change clearly on the minds of all, companies are […]
Plant Your Next
Footsteps
The ancient practice of horticulture still plays an exceedingly vital role in the way we shape our planet, producing a healthy crop of plants, fruit and vegetables for our consumers to maintain a balanced nutritious diet and to help us relax and recharge within our gardens. Studying horticulture as part of further education is a […]
Reflecting your ethos in Green Space
Ethos: the characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its attitudes and aspirations. Every company has its own culture or ethos under which it operates, and for good or for bad it affects every element of the business. Most businesses have a desired ethos, and many operate at that level, but […]
Visiting RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021
Passionate about gardening? Each springtime, London explodes with vibrant colours and scents with the world’s greatest flower show. During the five days in Chelsea, the show welcomes an extensive guest list from The Royal Family including The Queen herself, celebrities from all industries and the average everyday avid gardener. The RHS Chelsea Flower Show offers a chance to […]
Making the case for Long Term Tree Health
One of the biggest challenges the landscaping industry face today is how we effectively combat the current crisis of climate change. Most importantly how we can align collectively to enable an integrated approach to consider both mitigation and adaption to reduce emissions and stormwater, support the heat island effect and above all reduce global warming. […]
Placing Green at the Heart of the Development
In our previous blog – “Will we see tree-lined streets on all new developments?” – we highlighted the recent Planning for Future White paper – stating that all new streets should be tree-lined and all new homes to be carbon neutral by 2050. Although great news, like others within the industry, we have challenged these aspirations, asking such questions as what defines a tree-lined street? […]
The GreenBlue Circular Economy
The concept of a circular economy is not new – in fact, the linear economy characterised by taking, make and dispose of has only existed since the industrial revolution in any particularly meaningful way. In previous eras, very little was thrown away, as nearly everything had an alternative use at the end of its life, […]
Guest Blog: UBU Environmental discovers GBU!
It’s been almost 7 months since the public consultation period for PAS 115 closed and since then, we have made great progress in addressing the comments and suggestions made so that we can reach a final draft that gives end-users maximum confidence in the PAS process and its outcomes. One of the main areas where […]
Reducing the Risk – Successful tree establishment, every time!
Over the past 30 years, urban tree mortality levels have fallen dramatically, and GreenBlue Urban is proud to have been involved in this transformation. But the levels are still too high – in some boroughs, almost half the trees planted in hard surfaces fail to reach their first birthday, and far too many do not […]
