A new eco garden is to be installed at Jewellery Quarter railway station in Birmingham, following a grant from train operator West Midlands Railway.
The project will see £66,000 used to create a living wall of plants and shrubs at the station. Community volunteers will work with the area's Business Improvement District (BID) to improve the station.
The design has been created by Gaynor Steele, lead station adopter and local garden designer.
Jewellery Quarter station had over half a million passengers last year and the scheme will not only improve the station for visitors, but also provide training opportunities for members of the community who would like to develop their own urban gardening projects.
Rainwater collection, green areas, wildflowers and art panels will be created as part of the project.
Back in 2019, Network Rail installed a protective screen over a Banksy Artwork which appeared at Jewellery Quarter station.
Fay Easton, head of community and stakeholder for WMR, said: “We are delighted to be working with a talented urban gardener, local volunteers and the Jewellery Quarter BID on this fantastic project to makeover one of our stations which is so important to the businesses and community it serves.”
“Throughout the pandemic our focus has been on keeping our services running for our customers who need them but we are also looking to the future and have been working with communities to make sure the railway is an inviting and welcoming place for our passengers.”
“This innovative community project is central to our ethos at West Midlands Railway in working with local people to ensure the railways are at the heart of our neighbourhoods.”
Steve Lovell, from the Jewellery Quarter BID, said: “This project is central to our plans in improving the aesthetic of the Jewellery Quarter and increasing the amount of green spaces.”
“By turning the station into an eco-garden, we're not only helping to improve the environment, we're also creating an inviting entry point into the Jewellery Quarter that will increase footfall for our independent businesses. We can't wait to get started.”
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Nice work. Glad to see some flowers installed outside the stations. Well done.