Bus shelters with 'living' roofs to be installed in Sidmouth

Sidmouth looks set to get a number of new environmentally-friendly bus shelters with 'living' roofs of green plants.

Bus shelters roofed with the succulent plant sedum are becoming increasingly popular around the UK and in other countries. The plant stores water and requires very little maintenance, while attracting bees and other pollinators when its plants are in flower.

Sidmouth councillor Stuart Hughes, who's also the county council's cabinet member for highways management, said he's working with the company Fernbank Advertising, which wants to install sedum bus shelters in several towns around Devon – with Sidmouth among their priority locations. He said the company had also offered to make the shelters from recycled material.

He said: "I was particularly interested in their new sedum plant roof shelters, as these will fit in with Sidmouth's environment and biodiversity goals.

"These shelters will tick the environmental agenda boxes in not only providing shelter for passengers and encouraging more bus patronage, but also attracting and encouraging pollinators through the living roofs.

"They will also contribute to future Britain in Bloom aspirations, and will, I'm sure, be welcomed by Lynette Talbot and Peter Endersby, who have done wonders for the town since taking on Sidmouth in Bloom."