Are rooftop beehives the answer to biodiversity in urban areas?
Is it just me or is Chris Packham in the headlines a lot at the moment?
His admirable mission against “eco-vandalism” has really caught my eye, and I think he’s right; councils should spend less time mowing down wildflowers and more time encouraging bees and other pollinators.
But it’s not just on the ground that work can be done to encourage biodiversity.
I am inspired by efforts in places like Melbourne, Paris and London where developers and building managers are using rooftops to encourage birds and insects back into urban areas.
Beehives are appearing on the roofs of commercial buildings, helping to mitigate the damage done by rapid urbanisation – and it really is an incredibly important movement.
A study by the University of Reading found that bees’ pollination has an economic value of around £690 million every year in the UK alone!
Perhaps tangential, the roof is one area where we focus much effort as soon as we acquire a new industrial building; mending defects, tightening things up and making sure that it adds to the efficiency of the building.
I’ve been excited by this buzzing new economy; I think we might need to find some beehives too! Last month, my wife and daughter reached out to our local beekeeper’s association to start their beekeepers training.
I read a fascinating article all about rethinking roofs, you can view it here.
If you’d like to learn more about what we’re doing here at Preston and Preston Capital, please do drop us a line!
Formed in 2016, Preston & Preston Capital is a British property investment firm focused on long term ownership, leasing and active management of mixed-use, commercial and light industrial properties. We are constantly seeking new assets to develop and add to our growing high-yield portfolio.
