1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Leeds
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
The Green Wall and Roof of the Veolia Recycling Plant
Short description of the intervention
The Leeds RERF (Recycling and Energy Recovery facility) is the flagship development at the heart of Leeds Integrated Waste Strategy over the next 25 years. Amidst the timber frame on the buildings southern face there's a green ‘living’ wall creating a visually stunning feature in stark contrast to the building’s industrial use. The feature connects to a green roof and softens the building’s visual impact and provide vital bio-diversity to the site and surrounding industrial area. (1, 6)
Address

Newmarket Approach
Leeds
LS9 0RJ
United Kingdom

Location
Point location, which indicates where the NBS takes place
NBS area
1800.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Building
Website of the intervention
https://www.veolia.co.uk/leeds/our-facility/introducing-facility
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2012
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2013
End date of the intervention
2016
Present stage of the intervention
Completed
Goals of the intervention
The design of the green wall intended to provide a significant contribution to local urban biodiversity by focusing on the surrounding landscape character. (3)
The associated domed timber roofed structure to (connected to the living wall) is also used to store the incinerator bottom ash as a green roof finish.
The roof is also intended to provide water managing benefits, by using Erosaweb geocells to retain pockets of the growing media over the whole surface preventing soil movement and a Roofdrain under the soil retention system to drain excess rainwater away whilst acting as a reservoir board to retain irrigation water. (12)
The vertical wall is meant to contribute to the local biodiversity with a field meadow, a shrub mosaic, and a woodland edge, which are maintained by the facility's harvested rainwater. (24)
Quantitative targets
Unknown
Monitoring indicators defined
Unknown
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Water management (SDG 6)
Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Regeneration, land-use and urban development
Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
Implementation activities
Construction work began in October 2013 after Veolia and its plans were selected against the competition by Leeds City Council in 2012. (9, 13, 15) The incinerator opened in November 2016 (4, 14) after a successful testing phase 3 months ahead of schedule. (10) The following was implemented: a 42metre high, 1,800m2 living green wall, approximately 12,000m3 of reinforced concrete, a 4-metre deep bunker with 26 metre high walls, turbine hall, tipping hall, technical rooms, bottom ash building incorporating a green living roof, seven-storey administration block to house both Veolia and Leeds City Council employees, design, visitors’ viewing walkway cantilevering over the living wall at a height of some 23 metres, (6) and a rainwater harvesting and sustainable drainage system (swales and reed beds) to allow wastewater and rain run-off to be absorbed and evaporated, while capturing any impurities. (2)
Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
Please specify other type of green wall
Unknown
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Nature on buildings (external)
Green roofs
Green walls or facades
Grey infrastructure featuring greens
Institutional green space
Green areas for water management
Swales and filter strips
Sustainable urban drainage systems
Type of Green Wall
Other
Please specify other type of green roof
Unknown
Type of Green Roof
Other
What is the level of innovation / development of the NBS related to water management?
Low: Simple rain water collection intervention (rain garden, local seepage pit) or simple permeable areas
Vegetation Type
Grass
Shrubs
Flower beds
Other
Amenities offered by the NBS
Unknown
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Regulating services
Local climate regulation (temperature reduction)
Air quality regulation
Noise reduction
Carbon storage/sequestration
Water purification / filtration
Habitat and supporting services
Habitats for species
Cultural services
Aesthetic appreciation
Scale
Spatial scale
Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Citizens or community groups
Governance
Governance arrangements
Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Non-government actors
Private sector/Corporate/Business
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
The facility is part of a 25-year PFI contract between Leeds City Council and environmental solutions company Veolia. (4) The facility was designed by the French architect Jean-Robert Mazaud of S’pace Architects. It was built by the French plant engineering and construction company CNIM and English construction company Clugston Construction. (6, 14) ABG were meanwhile asked by the Council for a solution to cover the domed facility with a green roof as a consultant during construction. (12) The plant was supplied by Waste Treatment Technologies (WTT) which has offices in the Netherlands, Germany and Spain. (16) Veolia won the contract obtained from Leeds City Council ahead of competition from a consortium led by Covanta. (9)
Key actors - initiating organization
Local government/municipality
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Land owners
Private sector or company
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Local government/municipality
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Land owners
Private sector or company
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Unknown
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
Yes
Please specify the "Regional Directive/Strategy"
Stricter EU legislation governing the amount of landfills in each member state has been introduced since 1999 (such as Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste) as many sites were nearing full capacity. As a result, most countries have been forced to come up with better solutions for dealing with their growing waste streams. Going by the new plant in Leeds, the European Commission noted this is a positive development for both the environment and local communities. (2)
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Yes
Please specify the national regulations/strategy/plan
Veolia’s chief executive Estelle Brachlianoff said developments in the circular economy provided by the plant “should go hand-in-hand with the Northern Powerhouse”. (11) The Northern Powerhouse is a national agenda proposed by the government - passed on from the 2010-2015 coalition government - to rebalance the United Kingdom's economy by enhancing responsible growth, innovation and productivity in the region. (17)
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Unknown
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Voluntary (spontaneous)
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Please specify the general plan with GI/NBS section
Prior to the facility's construction it was reported in 2011 that around 40% of household waste in Leeds is recycled or composted. Leeds City Council sought the construction of this facility and maintained dialogue with the public to increase this recycling rate to a minimum of 50%, with aspirations to exceed this level in the longer term. (18)
Please specify other vegetation type
-111,000 native plants, shrubs, grasses and bulbs including Marsh Daisy, Wall Bellflower, Hart’s Tongue Fern, Butterfly Bush, Japanese Barberry, and Common Hazel (Ref 26)
- field meadow, a shrub mosaic, and a woodland edge (24)
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Co-finance for NBS
Unknown
Co-financing governance arrangements
Unknown
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
More than €4,000,000
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
approximately €535000000
What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?
Unknown
What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?
Unknown
Please specify cost savings
Unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
The construction of the wall and roof are incorporated into the initiative's total costs of civil engineering and building works of £47,000,000 (approximately €535000000) paid by Veolia. (22, 23, 25)
Source(s) of funding
Corporate investment
Type of fund(s) used
Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Business models
Green densification model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Private for-profit actor (e.g. firm, insurer)
Type of innovation
Technological
Product innovation
Please specify technological innovation
As a product innovation, the facility provides a significant contribution to local urban biodiversity by focusing on the surrounding landscape character. (3)
Novelty level of the innovation
The innovation is copied/derived from previous initiative(s) without substantial adaptation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
Living walls are an increasingly popular phenomenon in European architecture (20, 21); this particular living wall has been constructed as the biggest in Europe. (11)
Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Environmental quality
Improved air quality
Water management and blue areas
Improved stormwater management
Green space and habitat
Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
Increased green space area
Increased number of species present
Enhanced support of pollination
Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales
Description of environmental benefits
- It is one of the largest green living walls in Europe. With over 111,000 native plants and an area covering 1,800m2. (26)
- 111,000 native plants are shrubs, grasses and bulbs including Marsh Daisy, Wall Bellflower, Hart’s Tongue Fern, Butterfly Bush, Japanese Barberry, and Common Hazel (Ref 26) and are part of a field meadow, a shrub mosaic, and a woodland edge (24).
- The living/green wall is designed to be self-sustaining through capturing rainwater that is then used to feed the plants in the wall with nutrients. The living wall is a south-facing installation which, through ‘catching the sun’, benefits from the passive solar gain that helps to keep the building warm in winter and cool in summer. (26)
- Through its use of living/green wall technology the Leeds RERF makes a direct and significant contribution to Leeds’ green corridors by creating a range of valuable habitats for different species. At Leeds RERF green corridors support the movement of wildlife through connecting the north-eastern corner of the site to the green space to the north. (26)
- Covering an extensive area of 1,800m2, the living/green wall also has a role in contributing to improving air quality as plants in cities have been shown to remove nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter primarily created by transport emissions. (26)
- The living/green wall houses a number of insect habitat boxes that support insect life such as bees and ladybirds as well as acting as a feeding station for bats that are attracted to the wall by the insects. (26)
Economic impacts
Unknown
Description of economic benefits
Unknown
Social and cultural impacts
Education
Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Description of social and cultural benefits
The Leeds Recycling & Energy Recovery Facility (RERF) formally opened in 2016 as a high quality, innovative building, located on the site of the former Cross Green wholesale market in east Leeds. Standing at 42 metres high and 150 metres long, this award-winning, the landmark building is highly visible in the city and incorporates a visitor centre providing local schools with an educational resource to support learning about waste, recycling, energy and the environment. (26)
A community liaison group, a hotline for the public during construction and a regular newsletter to 11,500 homes in the surrounding area are currently helping keep locals in the loop. (5)
Type of reported impacts
Achieved impacts
Indicators
Unknown
Environmental, social and economic impacts
Unknown
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
No information available
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project
COVID-19 pandemic
Unknown as of 2 October 2020.
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
No evidence in public records
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Unknown
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
Unknown
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
Yes
Mode(s) of citizen involvement in evaluation/assessment
Other
Please specify other modes of citizen involvement in evaluation/assessment
The facility will have a visitor centre and education programme on reuse and recycling. It will also have one of the world’s biggest ‘living walls’ and will run school trips. A community liaison group, a hotline for the public during construction and a regular newsletter to 11,500 homes in the surrounding area are currently helping keep locals in the loop. (5)
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Unknown
References
Web links relevant to the intervention
(1) Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility: Project Details
(2) Impressive Waste-to-Energy Plant to open in Leeds, England
(3) VEOLIA, LEEDS - Living Wall
(4) Leeds Energy Recovery Plant incinerator officially opens
(5) Is the Cross Green incinerator the final piece in Leeds’s recycling jigsaw?
(6) Recycling & Energy Recovery Facility
(7) CLEANING UP ENERGY IN CROSS GREEN
(8) Veolia Environmental Services selected by Leeds for a waste management cont…
(9) Veolia wins race for £550m Leeds waste greenhouse
(10) Leeds EfW plant completed ahead of schedule
(11) Veolia puts Leeds at heart of circular economy ambition
(12) Green Roof Case Study
(13) Construction To Begin On Leeds Combined Recycling And Energy Recovery Site
(14) Veolia officially opens waste to energy plant in Leeds
(15) Leeds: £550m city incinerator plan a step closer UPDATED
(16) Veolia looks to improve recycling side of Leeds RERF
(19) Veolia - Corporate Social Responsibility
(20) Pictures: Green Walls May Cut Pollution in Cities
(21) Impressive green roofs and green walls in Europe
(23) focuson: Energy Recovery Facility, Leeds
(25) Two waste incinerators approved for Leeds
Documents relevant to the intervention
Attachment Size
(17) The Northern Powerhouse: One Agenda, One Economy, One North (6.67 MB) 6.67 MB
(18) Veolia and Leeds City Council increasing recycling and generating energy from the City’s waste (872.16 KB) 872.16 KB
(22) Case Study Leeds (757.16 KB) 757.16 KB
(24) Plant Selection for Living Walls (2.33 MB) 2.33 MB
List of references
(1) Biotecture. (2017). Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility. [Website Unavailable in 2020]
(2) European Commission. [no date]. Impressive Waste-to-Energy Plant to open in Leeds, England. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/europeangreencapital/waste-to-energy-plant-leeds/ [Accessed 1 October 2020]
(3) LivingGreenCity. [no date]. Veolia, Leeds - Living Wall. [Website Unavailable in 2020]
(4) BBC. (2016). Leeds Energy Recovery Plant incinerator officially opens. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-37987848 [Accessed 1 October 2020]
(5) Yorkshire Evening Post. (2014). Is the Cross Green incinerator the final piece in Leeds’s recycling jigsaw? http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/politics/is-the-cross-green-incinerator-the-final-piece-in-leeds-s-recycling-jigsaw-1-6685010 [Website Unavailable in 2020]
(6) Clugston. [no date]. Recycling & Energy Recovery Facility: Leeds. http://www.clugston.co.uk/construction/building-and-civils/our-expertise/renewables-and-energy-from-waste/leeds-energy-recovery-facility.php [Website Unavailable in 2020]
(7) Lawrence, Nick. (2015). Cleaning up Energy in Cross Green. https://lowcarbonleeds.wordpress.com/tag/veolia/ [Accessed 1 October 2020]
(8) Galfré, Stéphane and Camus, Marie-Claire. (2012). Veolia Environmental Services selected by Leeds for a waste management contract. [Website Unavailable in 2020]
(9) Morby, Anna. (2011). Veolia wins race for £550m Leeds waste greenhouse. http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2011/10/12/veolia-wins-race-for-550m-leeds-waste-plant/ [Accessed 1 October 2020]
(10) Goulding, Tom. (2016). Leeds EfW plant completed ahead of schedule. http://www.letsrecycle.com/news/latest-news/leeds-efw-plant-completed-ahead-of-schedule/ [Accessed 1 October 2020]
(11) Nicholls, Luke. (2015). Veolia puts Leeds at heart of circular economy ambition. https://www.edie.net/news/5/Veolia-circular-economy-energy-from-waste-plant-Leeds/ [Accessed 1 October 2020]
(12) ABG. [no date]. Green Roof Case Study. http://www.abg-geosynthetics.com/case-studies/green-roof-case-study-leeds-uk [Accessed 1 October 2020]
(13) Moore, Darrel. (2013). Construction To Begin On Leeds Combined Recycling And Energy Recovery Site. https://ciwm-journal.co.uk/construction-to-begin-on-leeds-combined-recycling-and-energy-recovery-site/ [Website unavailable in 2020]
(14) EUWID. (2016). Veolia officially opens waste to energy plant in Leeds. http://www.euwid-recycling.com/news/business/single/Artikel/veolia-officially-opens-waste-to-energy-plant-in-leeds.html [Accessed 1 October 2020]
(15) Leeds PSC. (2011). Leeds: £550m city incinerator plan a step closer UPDATED. http://www.leedspsc.org.uk/leeds-550m-city-incinerator-plan-a-step-closer-updated/ [Accessed 1 October 2020]
(16) Eminton, Steve. (2017). Veolia looks to improve recycling side of Leeds RERF. http://www.letsrecycle.com/news/latest-news/veolia-looks-improve-recycling-leeds/ [Accessed 1 October 2020]
(17) HM Government. (2015). The Northern Powerhouse: One Agenda, One Economy, One North. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/427339/the-northern-powerhouse-tagged.pdf [Accessed 1 October 2020, Document attached]
(18) Veolia. [no date]. Veolia and Leeds City Council increasing recycling and generating energy from the City’s waste.
https://democracy.leeds.gov.uk/documents/s64426/appendix [Accessed 1 October 2020, Document attached]
(19) Veolia. [no date]. Corporate Social Responsibility. https://www.veolia.com/en/veolia-group/profile/csr-performance [Accessed 1 October 2020]
(20) Dell'Amore, Christine. (2013). Pictures: Green Walls May Cut Pollution in Cities. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/03/pictures/130325-green-walls-environment-cities-science-pollution/ [Accessed 1 October 2020]
(21) Good Goal. (2017). Impressive green roofs and green walls in Europe. [Website not available in 2020]
(22) Everlite Concept. [no date]. Case Study: The beauty in creating energy from waste. [Document attached]
(23) Clugston. [no date]. Energy Recovery Facility, Leeds. [Website not available in 2020]
(24) Mosco, Shelley. (2016). Plant Selection for Living Walls [Document attached]
(25) Baron, John. [no date]. Two waste incinerators approved for Leeds. [Website Unavailable in 2020]
(26) Leeds City Council and Veolia (2018) The Leeds Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility. Source: https://www.veolia.co.uk/leeds/sites/g/files/dvc1786/files/document/2018/11/Veolia%20Leeds%20UK%20_%20Ecosystem%20fact%20file%201.pdf [Accessed 1 October 2020]
Interview
Attachment Size
The Green Wall and Roof of the Veolia Recycling Plant Interview (16.41 KB) 16.41 KB
Interview comments
I have contacted Stéphane Galfré of the Relations Press Group at Veolia asking what can be seen in the interview attached file.
Comments and notes
Comments
(19) Veolia. [no date]. Corporate Social Responsibility. https://www.veolia.com/en/veolia-group/profile/csr-performance
(20) Dell'Amore, Christine. (2013). Pictures: Green Walls May Cut Pollution in Cities. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/03/pictures/130325-green-walls-environment-cities-science-pollution/
(21) Good Goal. (2017). Impressive green roofs and green walls in Europe. http://goodgoal.org/2017/03/22/impressive-green-roofs-and-green-walls-in-europe/
(22) Everlite Concept. [no date]. Case Study: The beauty in creating energy from waste.
(23) Clugston. [no date]. Energy Recovery Facility, Leeds. http://www.glquine.co.uk/construction/building-and-civils/focus-on/efw-under-construction/leeds/
(24) Mosco, Shelley. (2016). Plant Selection for Living Walls
(25) Baron, John. [no date]. Two waste incinerators approved for Leeds. http://www.thecitytalking.com/201327two-waste-incinerators-approved-for-leeds-html/
Additional insights
The Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility in Cross Green is part of a environmental solutions company Veolia's 25-year privately funded initiative contract with the council and is expected to process around 4 million tonnes of waste over its lifetime. (4, 10, 11)

The facility is clad with translucent polycarbonate sheeting to the north face and has an 1,800m2 living green wall to the south elevation. (6) There are 110,000 plants used to create this green wall, habitat boxes to support insects such as solitary bees and 700 custom designed shrub boxes. (3) Waste ash from the stored ash of the green roof is meanwhile planned to go to an ash recycling plant in Sheffield where it will be processed for use as an aggregate. (9, 12)

The design of the green wall is intended to provide a significant contribution to local urban biodiversity by focusing on the surrounding landscape character. A mix of evergreen species offer year round coverage while deciduous shrubs add seasonal interest. (3) The roof meanwhile uses Erosaweb geocells to retain pockets of the growing media over the whole surface preventing soil movement and a Roofdrain under the soil retention system to drain excess rain water away whilst acting as a reservoir board to retain irrigation water. (12)

It is hoped that the incinerator will create enough power for 20,000 homes by generating 11.6 megawatts of electricity, create upwards from 45 permanent jobs, (5) and burn upwards from 150,000 tonnes of landfill waste a year. (4, 8) It is also hoped that over that period, the facility will save taxpayers more than £200m in landfill tax and environmental levies during the 25 years for which the privately funded initiative is due to last. (5) The facility provides a renewable source of energy that will contribute to the circular economy and the means to reduce fossil fuel consumption and enact fewer harmful CO2 gasses to the atmosphere. (7) At 125m long, 36m wide and 42m tall to the top of the arch, it is believed the framework is the biggest structure of its kind in Europe. (5)

In terms of the entire project's outcomes, on the basis of a Council utilising global expertise at the facility to monitor and improve equipment reliability, it had some technical issues, where the recycling element of the facility is not performing as it should and challenges occurred in securing waste paper outlets until an on-site Pro-Fibre pulping plant was installed. Veolia are said to be looking into this to see how they can upgrade their technology, at no extra cost to the Council, so as to ensure they meet their contractual requirements for the future. (16)

The total costs of the Veolia's privately funded initiative with Leeds City Council amounts to £460,000,000 of the contract's 25 year period (approximately €530,506,025 in 01/07/2017). (14)
Pictures of the NBS
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Public Images
Veolia Green Wall and Roof
https://twitter.com/biotecture_/status/777837126079643648
The Green Wall and Roof of the Veolia Recycling Plant (1)
The Green Wall and Roof of the Veolia Recycling Plant
Source: Ref. 1