Case Study LivingPillars Transform Maidstone Town Centre

Case Study: LivingPillars Transform Maidstone Town Centre

The Brief

Maidstone Borough Council set out to revitalise the town centre through its ambitious Greening and Lighting Strategy, supported by £400,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The strategy focused on creating safer, greener, and more welcoming public spaces by enhancing lighting and introducing innovative planting.

Scotscape’s LivingPillars® were chosen as a sustainable alternative to hanging baskets, offering a way to bring colour, biodiversity, and cleaner air into the heart of the high street without taking up pavement space.

The Challenge

Delivering the installation in Maidstone’s busy high street required careful planning and execution.

• Urban environment: Works were carried out in a bustling pedestrian and traffic area, requiring effective management at every site.
• Column profiles: The tapered lamp columns required structural testing and a bespoke fixing solution to achieve a secure fit.
• Safety: Teams operated from MEWPs with full rescue procedures in place before installation began.

The Approach

Scotscape worked with Maidstone Borough Council’s planning and conservation officers to design, install, and now maintain 19 LivingPillars.

Structural testing

Scotscape structurally tested all the lighting columns to ensure they were compliant

Design & Planting

The pillars were planted with a carefully curated mix of perennials and evergreens, ensuring seasonal colour from April through to November and structural greenery year-round. The chosen palette of light pinks, deep pinks, and whites provides a distinct visual identity for Maidstone while attracting pollinators.

• Key species include Iberis sempervirens, Phlox subulata, Heuchera ‘Berry Smoothie’, Salvia nemorosa, and Muhlenbergia capillaris.

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Biodiversity

Each pillar incorporates insect and bird boxes, transforming lamp columns into vertical biodiversity corridors that connect green spaces across the town. Positioned high above the pavement, they provide safe habitat for pollinators and urban wildlife.

Technology

LivingPillars are fitted with solar-powered, app-based smart irrigation technology that monitors tank levels, flow rates, and solar performance in real time.

Maintenance

Scotscape’s in-house watering team tops up the irrigation tanks. Our horticultural team also carry out horticultural maintenance twice a year including pruning (consistent to the time of year) and servicing irrigation components.

The Result

The LivingPillars have already become a striking feature of Maidstone’s high street.

• Public response: Strongly positive feedback from residents, councillors, and local businesses.
• Ecological impact: The pillars now function as ecological corridors for pollinators and small birds, supporting biodiversity in the heart of the town.
• Urban benefits: Beyond their visual appeal, the LivingPillars contribute to air quality improvement, help mitigate the “street canyon” effect that traps pollution, and offer placemaking benefits — guiding visitors to key destinations.

As Cllr Clive English, Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Enforcement, explained:

“These installations are a beautiful and practical way to enhance our town centre, support biodiversity, and demonstrate our commitment to sustainability. They’re a great example of how innovation and nature can work together to improve urban spaces.”

The Future

The LivingPillars are part of Maidstone’s wider plans to extend biodiversity corridors further into the town, connecting Week Street with Brenchley Gardens and Earl Street to the River Medway. Alongside new pocket parks and upgraded lighting infrastructure, the project is laying the groundwork for a greener, more sustainable town centre.

At Scotscape, our vision is to continue working hand-in-hand with local authorities to deliver innovative, practical, and beautiful green infrastructure — transforming urban environments into healthier, more biodiverse, and more liveable places.