When was the last time you really looked up and considered the city roofscape? For most of us, this space way above eye level is purely functional, the uppermost part of a building that protects us and its contents from … Continue reading →

Can I make a terrace or roof garden? Three things you will need – if you don’t have these it’s a non-starter. •Space outside that belongs to you and you are allowed to use. (Check the deeds of your property.) … Continue reading →

Lisa Andrews is a horticulturalist who works for Urban Roof Gardens. She has worked to help plan, design and build a number of roof terraces in the UK. With a grounding in horticulture she knows about what plants work well … Continue reading →

With city living on the increase, roof gardens are literally on the up. However, they bring with them their own problems.Wind can blow over pots, make a mockery of water features, and dry out and kill plants in weeks. You … Continue reading →

A few years ago, I noticed an unprecedented L. interest in roof gardens. They’re for people who live in cities wanting their own private green space. If we give thousands of people these green spaces, we will enjoy environmental benefits … Continue reading →

• A flat roof is easier to work with but pitched roofs are also viable, although more building work will be involved. • Find out whether you need planning permission, then contact your local planning authority. Applications take anything from … Continue reading →

Don’t tell Tony and Cherie Blair about interior designer Elisabeth Hiney. Britain’s First Couple last week secured planning permission to build a roof terrace on their house in London’s Connaught Square. But it wasn’t without complications. Neighbours were unhappy at … Continue reading →

However big or small, outside space is like gold dust in the city. Urbanites are increasingly, if begrudgingly, crossing a garden off their wish lists when searching for the perfect property, but before you resign yourself to a city life … Continue reading →

Does your roof have the potential to be a terrace? Lisa Andrews of Urban Roof Gardens offers this advice: ‘A ten-ace is potentially viable if you have an existing outside space that can be reinforced to be load-bearing, a window … Continue reading →

Yesterday some of Barclays’ new residents were living it up in London’s most exclusive new environment. As ladybirds lunched on aphids 32 floors above the Thames and a few greenfly tried to avoid the grasshoppers who have moved in, the … Continue reading →