Plans to install “bee bus stops” with living roofs have been approved in Peterborough, as part of a wider programme to improve the city’s bus infrastructure and support urban biodiversity.
Peterborough City Council said 34 bus stops could be fitted with “living roofs”—mini gardens planted with wildflowers and other vegetation above the shelters. The initiative is included in the city’s new bus stop plan, which also proposes replacing existing perch seats with “comfort seats”.
The plan was discussed and approved at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Bus stop contract
The council is expected to sign a new contract with Bauer Media Outdoor UK to manage the city’s bus stations.
Under the agreement, the company will provide the council with annual income of £140,000 from advertising sales, plus 2.5% of its quarterly gross revenue.
The contract is expected to run for a minimum of 10 years, with an option to extend it. Over 20 years, it could provide the authority with £2.8 million.
Bauer Media Outdoor UK says it has more than 350 living roofs across the UK, including in Birmingham, Glasgow and Northampton.
Other planned changes
Chris Wiggin, the council’s Liberal Democrat cabinet member for environment, said: “We need to do everything we can to support biodiversity and support bees and other pollinators, because without them there would be no other life. So it’s great to see these things.”
Other planned changes to Peterborough’s bus stops include providing up-to-date passenger information and installing digital advertising screens at most stops.
The council’s cabinet meeting documents contain further details of the plan.
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Source: www.bbc.co.uk