Newcastle is a city known for its industrial heritage, so it might come as a surprise to find out that it’s also gaining a reputation as an eco-friendly hotspot of innovation and initiatives. A 2021 study ranked Newcastle as one of greenest cities in the UK and across the city you can find all sorts of fascinating endeavours that are benefitting the environment. From sustainable dining to bee-friendly ventures and a floating ecosystem, here are some of the ways Newcastle is doing its bit to save the planet.
The Gatekeepers Garden, Jacobins Chare, The Gate
Right in the heart of one of the busiest parts of the city, this ‘pocket garden’ is both an oasis of calm and a brilliant effort to increase biodiversity. The garden is populated with plants chosen for their appeal to insects - bees in particular - and also hosts the first bio-graffiti wall, planted with moss and ferns that adapts with the seasons. It's an ideal spot for taking some time away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre and you might even spot a Gatekeepers butterfly, from which the garden took its name.
Floating Ecosystem, The Quayside
If you’ve been for a wander down by the Quayside in the last nine months, you might have spotted something unusual in the water by the Millenium Bridge. The 1,000-square foot natural habitat floating on the Tyne is the world’s first floating ecosystem, a natural habitat that it is hoped will improve water quality and nurture biodiverse natural life. Monitored and maintained by Groundwork NE & Cumbria alongside Newcastle University and Dublin's Trinity College, it will be assessed for its ecological, social and economic impact while providing an interesting hub for study and community. In time it’s hoped the island will provide a home for animal, bird and aquatic life.
Lumen Bee Project, The Helix
Given that The Lumen is a development all about innovation, creativity and fostering sustainibility, it’s no surprise to find out that its occupiers are turning their attention to bees! They’ve collaborated with the Newcastle & District Beekeepers Association (NDBKA) and after some training, some Lumen tenants assisted in installing two hives on the Helix’s roof in April 2022. It’s long been understood that bees are essential to our ecosystem, and providing tens of thousands of bees with a city-centre home (and the environment needed to support them) is a positive step. Beekeepers check the hives weekly and an Urban Observatory managed by Newcastle University is working with The Lumen and the NDBKA to monitor and assess the bees’ effect on the development as a whole. There are even plans to raise money for charity by selling honey from The Lumen’s beehives!
The Core Living Wall, The Helix
Another complex within the Helix is The Core, a similarly forward-thinking development offering a home to all manner of tech and research companies. In keeping with the innovation-centred ethos, The Core is home to one of the UK’s biggest ‘living walls’. Around 27-metres high, the installation on the side of the Core building provides a vertical garden home to all sorts of ivies, seagrass, thyme, primulas and more (more than 35,000 plants in total), as well as nesting boxes. The wall is in fact a system of plant boxes attached to the building by rails and attached to a rainwater irrigation system. As Fiona Standfield, director of Newcastle Science City, explains, “The aim of installing the wall was to attract a huge amount of wildlife to the local area, including insects and smaller birds, which will be able to benefit from the plants that are being grown on Science Central. We’re also installing bee ‘hotels’ onto the building which will encourage even more flora and fauna in the local area.”
Blackfriars, Friars Street
Blackfriars has long been recognised as one of the most distinctive restaurants in Newcastle, and its remarkable location and building is a big part of that. What diners might not realise is that the gorgeous Cloister Garden – a lovely, atmospheric place to dine when weather permits – also provides all the herbs and edible flowers used in both meals and a lot of the cocktails that are served throughout the summer when they’re in season, all of which is in keeping with the restaurant’s long-standing commitment to sustainability and community. In another progessive move, Hooked On – the team behind Blackfriars as well as Hinnies and Dobson & Parnell – have bought an electric refrigerated van to transport fish straight off the quay at North Shields to their kitchens.
Marks & Spencer Green Wall, Northumberland Street
Even the least observant shopper can’t have missed one of the most prominent green innovations in the city centre: the ‘living wall’ on the front of the Marks & Spencer store right in the heart of Northumberland Street. Launched in 2015, the 167-square metre wall is home to a host of plants (around 16,000 at last count!) and is irrigated using a rainwater harvesting system fed by a rooftop water tank. As well as looking wonderful and providing an excellent example of just what can be achieved in the most unlikely places, the wall is a book to local biodiversity and provides a home to all manner of wildlife.
Horticulture, Market Lane
Horticulture has been banging the drum for all things local, seasonal and sustainable since it opened, so it’s no surprise to discover that it’s part of the Carbon Free Dining Scheme. This United Nations Environment Programme-backed initiative invites diners to add a small donation onto their bill which goes to fund the planting of trees in deprived areas. These trees both offset the carbon footprint of the restaurant and provide food, shelter and other advantages to the area in which they’re planted.
NE1’s Bin Consolidation Scheme, City Wide
Nothing makes a city look grubby and unappealing like overflowing bins stacked untidily by the side of the road, so in 2012 the NE1 team launched their ‘on-street waste consolidation scheme’. This initiative saw a number of city-centre locations targeted for a collaborative transformation, reducing the number of bins and housing them off-street where possible. The scheme has so far seen six areas transformed by the reduction in the number of bins and also encouraged more awareness of recycling and waste management issues. So not only does the city look better, it’s also a lot greener too!
That’s just a sample of some of the innovative, creative and really imaginative ways that Newcastle is leading the way in terms of sustainability and biodiversity, displaying the same kind of forward thinking that made the city’s name as an industrial powerhouse. From bees to bins, living walls to seasonal herbs, every initiative helps!
