UK’s first rooftop forest is coming to Southwark and will be home to stag beetles

The UK’s first rooftop forest is coming to London with the former Blackfriars Crown Court building being transformed into a city centre oasis.

The project named ‘Roots in the Sky’ is set to cost £180 million and will include 385,000 square feet of office space as well as a rooftop bar, restaurant and swimming pool.

The rooftop forest promises to boast over 100 developed trees as well as 10,000 mature plants, and is set to be home to a colony of stag beetles.

South London is already the most densely populated area in the UK for stag beetles, which is the largest insect to be found in the country.

Some 1,300 tonnes of soil will need to be brought up to the building’s roof, with the former crown court starting life as a stationary office in the 1960s.

Developers Fabrix hope that the new project will help contribute to London’s goal of reaching net zero by 2030, and attract various forms of wildlife to make the rooftop forest their home.

Fabrix’ description of the new Southwark development said: “Roots in The Sky sets out to demonstrate the value of placemaking in a commercial office building, and that bringing inspiring new community spaces alongside commercial development is of benefit to the neighbourhood and tenants alike.”

It continues: “Recognising that office space is in demand in the borough but that space and services for community use are lacking, we decided to dedicate many of the prime areas of the new building for local use, also setting up a not-for-profit management structure to run the spaces.”

The building stands at seven storeys tall and is situated on Pocock Street near the Southwark London Underground station. The Roof in the Sky building will include its own water capture and irrigation system to meet all the plant’s needs on its roof.