The outside areas at Barbers Road have been carefully designed to create a sense of wellness and healthy living. They seek to give back to the City in contrast to the warehouses and hard surfaces on the current site. The image above represents the new City Mill Square. It is carefully designed so that it provides various outside spaces for a variety of activities. Children can enjoy fun and games in a play area while adults can benefit from raised planters and carefully selected species of trees as they relax on benches. The pocket parks, roof terraces, and large central residents’ gardens will all benefit from high-quality landscaping providing an environment that enables all residents to benefit from outdoor relaxation. They will aid neighborhood connectivity. The pocket park adjacent to the nursery will provide space for parents to sit and wait while creating an additional buffer to the road. 

Communal Courtyard
Communal Courtyard approach

Improving the biodiversity of the site is a key factor in the landscape design. Introducing areas of rich grassland and meadow will attract bees and other pollinators and will help support birds and small mammals. The design will ensure all-year-round interest with a focus on colorful naturalistic planting and species that are climate change resilient. It will also help local drainage.

A wide variety of trees will be planted throughout the site. Native species have been selected to encourage biodiversity and increase wildlife. Many will be flowering varieties, maximizing interest and bringing color throughout the seasons, including the autumn.

The biodiverse roofs at Barbers Road will also be designed to create a wide range of different habitats that will allow the broadest range of flora and fauna to thrive.