The huge plans for the station on the London Underground map that will make everyone’s life better

A huge change to part of London’s rail network that could make everyone’s lives better could become a reality in East London.

A plan has been put forward to cover the walls and pillars of the DLR track in the Marsh Wall area of Canary Wharf with vegetation to help purify the polluted air in Tower Hamlets.

ANS Global, the company behind the plans, say that the “living wall” idea could help London’s air quality by absorbing CO2 and also helping to improve the biodiversity of the city.

Tower Hamlets Councillor Andrew Wood supports the scheme.

He explained that as well as making the area more pleasant for residents to walk around in, the plants would help to purify the air in what is one of the most densely populated areas in the UK.

ANS Global say that plant life in public places helps to reduce carbon output

Tower Hamlets is the second-most densely populated borough in London, behind only Islington.

Walls and roofs covered in plant life have become increasingly common throughout London over the past few years, and ANS hope that this will become more widespread to help the city reduce its carbon footprint.

Steve MacIntyre, principal urban environment consultant at ANS Global, said that the plan could be a major force in helping the capital to reach carbon neutral.

He said: “The main purpose of the scheme is purification and biodiversity – giving back what we’ve taken away whilst we’ve built the concrete jungle.

London Green Wall wide shot

Although the current plan is for the Marsh Wall area of Canary Wharf, ANS hope to expand the scheme throughout London

“If you take the areas around the DLR in Canary Wharf, we’ve got some of the most heavily populated streets in the UK and there’s an incredible amount of young people being brought up that need a connection with nature.”

He added that the more such schemes were introduced to London, the greater the impact they would have.

He said: “Obviously the more you do the more oxygen is absorbed, the more particular matter and toxic gases are absorbed, but any area of green infrastructure will always help.

“As soon as we can do it the better – we can extract that carbon from the environment using nature, and we can mitigate the increased pollution from increased industry and traffic.”

Independent Conservative Councillor Andrew Wood added that the scheme would be a great benefit to the Marsh Wall area of Canary Wharf.

He said: “You’ve got this elevated DLR line by Marsh Wall, which is also becoming the densest place in the United Kingdom. It’s not especially attractive underneath the DLR lines [where] you’ve got all of this public area.

“All of the analysis, all of the research shows that greener areas are nicer places to live in, and the second, more practical issue is these plants will help absorb some of the pollutants in the air – so they also help keep the air clean as well.

“The costs wouldn’t necessarily be so much up front, it would just be more the ongoing maintenance.

Green wall DLR Canary Wharf

The plan aims to boost the biodiversity and air quality of the area

“The council aren’t building a new park in the area despite the fact you’ve got tens of thousands of new people paying council tax, so they have to provide these new people with some more greenery, and one way of doing it is vertically.”

ANS Global has not yet submitted its plan to Tower Hamlets Council formally, but is continuing to consult with residents about the idea.

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https://www.mylondon.news/news/east-london-news/huge-plans-station-london-underground-21445677

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