Biodiversity has been given a boost in Derby with the installation of 15 new Living Pillars®.
An innovative addition to the city centre, Living Pillars® are vertical gardens bringing colour and life into urban spaces. Attached to existing lighting and CCTV columns, they are powered by solar energy and feature a recirculating irrigation system. The smart irrigation ensures each pillar’s planting is kept healthy and resilient with minimal water use.
The pillars have been carefully designed to provide year-round colour and structure, while offering vital food and shelter for urban pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hoverflies. Planting includes species such as Agastache ‘Summer Sunset’, Coreopsis ‘Rum Punch’, Heuchera ‘Coral Petite’ and Juniperus ‘Mint Julep’.
By creating safe, elevated corridors for insects and other wildlife to navigate between parks and open spaces, the introduction of these vertical gardens builds on Derby City Council’s commitment to greener, healthier places for people and nature to thrive.
Councillor Carmel Swan, Cabinet Member for Transport and Sustainability, said:
These innovative pillars will not only bring year-round colour and vibrancy to our city centre but support our efforts to enhance biodiversity and make our city a cleaner and greener place to live and visit.
We’re serious about our commitment to creating a greener, healthier city that supports our residents, and the installation of these pillars is another step towards achieving this.
A big thank you to our partners Bauer Media Outdoor UK and Scotscape for bringing this idea into reality.
Angus Cunningham, Scotscape Founder, said:
We are delighted to have worked with Derby City Council on this exciting project. Derby is a forward-thinking city, and it has been a privilege to be part of their journey. Our innovative Living Pillars® not only brighten the streetscape but also help to form vital biodiversity corridors through the city. They support wayfinding and placemaking while creating habitat for pollinators and invertebrates – small interventions with a big impact for both people and nature.
Nigel Godfrey, Portfolio Partnership Manager, Central Region at Bauer Media Outdoor, added:
It’s great to see our Community Innovation Fund helping bring Living Pillars® to life in Derby. Alongside our Living Roofs, these vertical gardens show how even small interventions can create real impact. They’re a simple but powerful way to add more colour, nature and biodiversity to the places people use every day.
In addition to their biodiversity benefits, the Living Pillars® also help people navigate the city with built-in signage guiding visitors to key destinations.
Funded by Bauer Media Outdoor’s Community Innovation Fund and designed and installed by Scotscape, Living Pillars® are part of an ongoing partnership between the council and the media owner, who operate the digital advertising screens housed under the innovative Living Roofs located across Derby.
Better access to nature and improved green spaces improves wellbeing and supports better mental health. As part of Derby City Council’s commitment to reach net zero by 2035, the Council has committed to improving biodiversity and climate change resilience in the city. More information about the Council’s net zero ambitions can be found in the Climate Change Action Plan 2025-27.