Bats, birds and bees boost Bloomsbury businesses' biodiversity

Holborn has become a hive of activity thanks to one London business improvement district and its ambitious plans to introduce more birds and bats to the centre of the capital.

Eight hives installed on roofs last year as part of inmidtown's urban bee-keeping scheme have yielded their first crop of honey and the not-for-profit agency is now hoping to install more hives this year as buzz around the project grows.

"For businesses the benefits are increased morale, employees enjoying learning new things, and simply getting out of the office," inmidtown chief executive Tass Mavrogordato told BusinessGreen. "It's obvious, but nevertheless it helps with things like employee retention."

And there are sweeter rewards - companies hosting a hive are not only acknowledged on the label, but get 20 per cent of the crop, which can be provided in small tubs for breakfast meetings or larger jars for corporate gifts.

"One company sold it all and gave the money to charity," Mavrogordato added. "We're also selling it and we're looking to engage restaurants and hotels [in the area] to get it on menus."

Now inmidtown is running a competition to find new designs to encourage urban wildlife, as part of a wider sustainability programme that aims to see Holborn, Bloomsbury, and St Giles become London's greenest areas.

Three shortlisted entries include a "flat-back hive", an origami-inspired "batwing" home for bats, and a "bee lift", which incorporates folding arms that hoist the hive up in the air.

Mavrogordato admits to being unsure as to how many businesses will want to host bats, but insists the same benefits that made companies such as law firm Olswang install a hive should still apply to the new habitats.

"[Bat habitats] are a new development," she said. "The bees met with great enthusiasm, the birds are not much different, but bats... bats are a little bit different."

The designs will be exhibited in the courtyard at Central Saint Giles from March, with a winner announced later in the year. The chosen design will be produced and installed in green spaces and on the rooftops and terraces of businesses throughout the district.

Businesses looking to host a habitat can contact inmidtown directly, while the agency also hopes that the scheme can provide a model for firms in other urban centres to emulate, simultaneously boosting wildlife numbers and employee engagement with biodiversity issues.