Pell Frischmann’s Ecology Team are delighted to have been involved in the successful resolution to grant planning permission as part of the O2 Finchley Road scheme in London. As part of our work with LandSec, we delivered a scheme focussed on biodiversity and landscaping features.

Since 2019, the Ecology Team have worked closely with LandSec and our colleagues to guide the design of the scheme and minimise ecological impacts while maximising the biodiversity gains for this site.

 

The site

O2 Finchley Road is situated within the London Borough of Camden (LBC). It is bounded by Blackburn Road, which envelops the site along its southern and northern edge, also extending to the west. The Thameslink Bedford-Brighton railway line runs along the northern edge of the site, and the London Underground Jubilee and Metropolitan lines run above ground along the southern edge of the site.

The site is approximately 5.7 hectares in size and currently comprises the O2 Centre, which contains entertainment and retail space, a health club, and a community room. There is also a car park for 520 vehicles along with two purpose-built car showrooms and a builder’s merchant to the west of the site.

The site was dominated by hardstanding car park and buildings; however, ecological features were present including scattered landscape tree planting and introduced shrubs. Overall, 110 individual trees, and one group of trees were identified, comprising of nine different species. This included mature Category A London plane trees along Billy Fury Way which were identified as of both landscape and ecological importance within the site.

In addition, designated sites West Hampstead Railside, Medley Orchard and Westbere Copse (Borough Grade I Importance) were located immediately to the north of the site and Frognal Court Wood SINC approximately 50m to the north of the eastern section of the site (Borough Grade II Importance).

 

Our role

Pell Frischmann carried out a preliminary ecological appraisal, arboricultural survey and biodiversity net gain (BNG) assessment to inform the design team with the following successful outcomes:

  • Adjusted red line boundary to avoid impacts to buildings that were suitable for roosting bats.
  • Identification of no significant impacts on adjacent designated sites.
  • Category A London plane trees along Billy Fury Way were incorporated into the proposed development and would remain in-situ during development.
  • The net gain of 1.65 habitat units, when compared to the current baseline conditions at the site.

BNG is an approach which aims to ensure that changes brought about by development conclude with biodiversity faring better than it did before works took place. BNG replaces the previous policy of ‘no net loss’. BNG relies on the mitigation hierarchy of avoidance, mitigation or compensation being applied, and should be used in addition to these, rather than as a replacement. Only as a last resort should biodiversity losses be compensated by offsetting using off-site mitigation or compensation.

The BNG calculations for this site indicated that the completed development will result in the net gain of 1.65 habitat units, when compared to the current baseline conditions at the site. Due to the urban setting of the proposed development, and the very small number of units identified at the baseline, this translates to a 165.43% gain in biodiversity within the site.

This has been achieved by the inclusion of amenity grassland and ‘run-over’ grass crates, as well as tall grass and wild grass, wildflowers, ground level planters, ground cover perennials in planters, shrubs, rain garden, swales and wetland vegetation, woodland and mini-forest habitats, and street trees.

The BNG assessment was produced in tandem with the Urban Greening Factor which was introduced in London and requires a certain amount of greening on urban sites and was produced as part of the Landscape Strategy.

 

Laura Lapios, Associate from East, the landscape architect on the project says:

…Despite tight site constraints with both TfL and Network Rails on either side of the land and phasing constraints, East has designed a landscape which offers a green infrastructure in which gardens, public parks, civic squares and areas of biodiversity cohabit. The Masterplan aims at extending natural habitats and re-connects the site to existing green corridors nearby, enhancing the ecology on-site and beyond. The importance of increasing biodiversity, as well as providing health and well-being environments for the generations to come has led the design team at East to propose a natural landscape, which relies on rich and varied natural habitats, supporting wildlife and climate change strategies.