At Barracks Lane Community Garden our eco shelter is moving forward! Thanks to a generous grant from the Trust for the Oxfordshire Environment and the Oxfordshire Preservation Trust we have started the installation of a green roof and solar panels on our new shelter.
The green roof is being supplied by Oxford Green Roofs, and the owners, Kay and Gareth Davies are generously donating their time and expertise, charging us only for materials. The first phase, installation of the butyl liner and the edging restraint was completed in May, and we have now fixed a date to complete the roof the substrate and meadow turfing. 31st July is a while away - we had to find a weekend date when the garden wasn't being used by young children, and when we could gather together enough volunteers to barrow the substrate down the access lane and onto the roof.
We already have a great group of volunteers from Phil Pritchard's permaculture group, and I'm sure when we advertise more widely for volunteers there will be quite a few garden users who want to learn about green roof installation.
It's such a good time to be doing this, with the RSPB and wildlife trusts appealing to gardeners and developers to think about creating wildlife corridors and habitats. At Barracks Lane we'll be able to show all our visitors how a green roof can add beauty and biodiversity to a garden and neighbourhood. Our roof is going be meadowturf, not sedum, and will offer habitat to a range of insects and birds. Watch this space for pictures later in the year!
Meanwhile, Russell Dominian who built the eco shelter at Barracks Lane, has the first 'green roof' in a van that I've ever seen!
The solar panels are now in position on the roof, waiting for connection to the grid. This is proving to be more problematic that anticipated because of the need to dig a new trench through the concrete access pathway. But we're investigating a number of solutions, and hope to have this sorted by next week. Meanwhile I am busy designing a cupboard to house the meter and inverter for the panels and grid connection - not just any old cupboard, but one which has a see-through door at eye-level, so that children (and adults) can learn about how energy from the sun can make electricity for us all.
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