Green walls cannot be considered compliant for the, ‘Minimising impact on site ecology’ Issue due to concerns over high maintenance requirements, whereby the plants are not self-supporting and cannot, therefore, be considered as a sustainable solution in themselves or in mitigating the impact of the loss of ground-based planting.
In terms of ‘Enhancing site ecology’, however, where a specific green wall system and species mix are supported by the SQE’s recommendations and there is evidence that a comprehensive on-going maintenance strategy will be in place, this can be recognised.
In such cases, a separate calculator tool may be completed for this Issue to demonstrate the species richness of the site, including the contribution of the green wall.
The following methodology may be used:
- Make a copy of your completed calculator tool for LE 03 to create a separate LE 04 calculator.
- Add the species numbers from the green wall to the total species for the site, keeping the site area the same.
- Use the resulting increase in species richness as evidence to award the relevant credit for LE 04.
30/11/17 Guidance on methodology added
