An Urban Farm pop-up has opened in London’s Fleet Street, as part of the local business improvement district’s (BID) efforts to drive awareness about sustainability.
The Urban Farm has opened at 109 Fleet Street, in partnership with Square Mile Farms, and will operate until 30 June. Funded by the Fleet Street Quarter (FSQ) BID, the pop-up on its ground floor is the first of its kind and will call on the community to harvest sustainable and local herbaceous produce.
Urban Farm activates a vacant retail unit, and aims to be an experiential and educational high street hub for the community, with the space set to host a series of interactive workshops in the coming weeks.
Those behind the scheme want to encourage businesses in the area to take-on Urban Farms themselves to utilise empty units.
Using “self-watering hydroponic towers and walls”, the site is expected to produce more than 1,000 supermarket-sized salad bags of ultra-fresh greens this month. Workers, residents, and visitors are invited to pick their crop – on 14 and 21 June, visitors will harvest parsley, kale, sage, and basil grown at the pop-up.
FSQ argues that the project will use limited water in the production of the crops and expects to use only 4p of electricity per day.
Rachael Smith, FSQ BID manager, commented: “The BIDs Urban Farm underlines the Fleet Street Quarter’s aims to foster environmental and community stewardship.
“An innovative solution to developing engaging retail units, the initiative exemplifies how the BID is taking a hands-on approach to promoting sustainability in the Fleet Street Quarter.”
She added: “Partnering with Square Mile Farms aligns with the BIDs wider goals of engaging with local businesses and creating a connected green community; empowering all those who work, live and visit with an educational hub that promotes health and wellbeing.”
The pop-up comes as London hosts the 2023 Ecocity World Summit, this week.
Read more about eco pop-ups on Green Retail World
[Image credit: Fleets Street Quarter/Urban Farms]
