Support for Sydney's green roofs policy

Business owners and residents have expressed their support for the environmental and social benefits of living greenery in response to the City of Sydney’s Green Roofs and Walls Policy.

Released in December last year, the policy offers a commitment from the city to work with the community to increase the number of green walls and roofs. Currently, the city has around 83 green roofs in place and a further 50 approved for construction.

The City of Sydney has seven green roofs and five green walls of its own, including the green roof meadow at Prince Alfred Park Pool, Surry Hills. The 2000 m² roof is said to be the largest of its kind in Sydney, with more than 35,000 seasonal and native grasses including tufted bluebells, lavender grass and short hair plume grass.

“Green roofs and walls are not only beautiful additions to buildings, they also improve air quality, clean stormwater, provide a natural habitat for biodiversity and reduce power bills and greenhouse gas emissions - and the city is doing everything we can to introduce more of these features into our urban landscape,” said Lord Mayor Clover Moore.

“We’re seeing many more building owners and residents embracing green roofs and walls with some fantastic examples of these living systems integrated in buildings in the city.”

One such example is the world’s tallest vertical garden at Central Park in Ultimo, which spans the 33-storey residential complex. Central Park apartment owner Kevin Dong said the 130 m-high vertical garden was a major reason he chose to invest there.

The green wall at 1 Central Park.

“It’s increasingly difficult to find a pocket of tranquillity when you to want to live in the inner city,” Dong said.

“Apartment living suits my age and lifestyle, but then you miss out on having a backyard and a touch of nature of your own. Central Park’s beautiful vertical garden solves that problem for me.”

Over in Erskineville, the Rose Hotel’s green wall has helped make it a hotspot for outdoor dining. Owner Scott Leach said the pub is undergoing a major refurbishment and the first green wall out of four to be installed has already proved popular with patrons.

“The atmosphere created in a venue directly affects the mood and atmosphere and can also influence the behaviour of customers,” Leach said.

“The reaction to our new green wall from the public has already been overwhelming, and we have three more on the way. It’s important to allow the fabric of the building to tell its story while introducing sustainable and living additions to create an urban pit stop oasis.”

A green wall trial is also underway at Goulburn Street car park to breathe new life into a space once billed as one of the city’s ugliest buildings. Eleven green walls with very different styles are being created inside and outside the car park to transform and beautify the space.

To learn more about green roofs, register for the upcoming green roofs workshop on 10 May at Redfern Community Centre.