Hosta Consulting constructs city centre roof garden

The plants are in, the flowers are growing, and residents are enjoying the new roof garden at Victoria Centre flats.

The garden, built by Nottingham City Homes (NCH) directly above the intu Victoria shopping centre, is based on the fourth floor of the flats and features a range of different seating areas, timber raised beds, two wall murals, and trees and planting chosen specifically for the urban environment.‏ 

‏Works began in October last year and have taken 22 weeks to complete. A group of volunteer residents will help to maintain the garden in the future, with tools donated by Fiskars via landscape designers and BALI Registered Contractor Hosta Consulting, who worked with NCH to deliver the project.

Representatives from NCH, Hosta Consulting and Nottingham City Council (NCC) joined residents on Tuesday 19 March to celebrate the opening at a garden party on the roof. Resident Dave Pitt said:

The new garden is great. We’re looking forward to having a green and lovely outdoor space, and in the summer it’ll be a great little urban sanctuary for us, here above the city. When the garden is in full bloom it is going to be a really beautiful place for residents.

Nick Murphy, Chief Executive of NCH, said:

We have really transformed this area and it’s good to see so many residents coming here and enjoying the garden already. We have helped to bring life back into this area and I know that residents will enjoy having this beautiful green space so close to their homes. The garden has been designed to create a place people can go to relax, meet with friends, and enjoy a sunny day. I look forward to seeing how the residents make this area their own and look after this space over the years.

‏The work was delivered on NCH'‏s behalf by the highways team at Nottingham City Council. Cllr Dave Liversidge, Portfolio Holder for Transport and HR, said:

The work done on this garden is very professional and has really transformed the space. Working with NCH, our teams have made a space that residents can enjoy and can be proud of.

Helen Taylor, managing director at landscape design practice Hosta Consulting, said:

Our brief was to create an oasis for the residents of the Victoria Centre flats. The garden is an attractive green space on what was once a grey roof, providing a pleasant outdoor area to relax and grow vegetables in the allotment. We hope the residents take a seat on a bench, spot the bees buzzing past, take pleasure in watching the seasons change and the plants grow, and enjoy this peaceful garden in the sky. This is the largest intensive green roof in Nottingham which makes it an important project for the city; we’re pleased to support Nottingham City Homes who’ve taken action and invested in something of tangible benefit to their residents.