Norwich: St Stephens Street bus stop living roofs are dying

The flowers and plantlife have wilted and turned brown in the early summer heat after the bus shelters were finally installed last month as part of the £6.1m works in St Stephens Street.

The incident follows a litany of errors with bus timetables being installed upside down, a digital board facing the wrong way and signs telling passengers not to smoke not being replaced.

One concerned passenger, Ros Paine, said she was disappointed to see the miserable-looking plants.

Dying plants on the roofs of bus stops (Image: Ros Paine)

She said: "I find it very sad and a waste of money that Norwich City Council put all these plants in trays on top of the new bus shelters in St Stephens Street and then leave them to die due to a lack of water."

The plants when they were first put in (Image: Ros Paine)

The city council said it was unable to comment on the shelters as they were the responsibility of Clear Channel, which handles their advertising boards.

Norfolk County Council's opposition Labour group leader, Steve Morphew, said the "comedy of errors" shows that local traffic schemes need to be "overseen by those who understand local needs".

Norfolk County Council Labour leader, Steve Morphew (Image: Newsquest)

He added: "Public money and the credibility of Norfolk County Council is being wasted and must stop."

Green Party city councillor for the area, Jamie Osborn, echoed those thoughts.

Green Party city councillor, Jamie Osborn (Image: Submitted)

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He said: "Living roofs for bus stops are something I and other Green councillors have been campaigning for, for a long while.

"They're a good idea, they clean up the air and help to offset emissions, but they need to be properly maintained and correctly funded for them to be well-maintained.

Living roofs on the top of St Stephens Street bus shelters have been wilting (Image: Newsquest)

"But they're a good thing, inevitably, we need to see more of them."

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Norwich's St Stephens Street works have been littered with errors (Image: Newsquest)

Norfolk County Council and Clear Channel, an advertising and infrastructure firm, has been contracted for comment.

Work to revamp the city centre street caused disruption for 10 months last year before reopening to buses, bikes and taxis in October but the bus shelters were delayed due to supply issues.

Plants wilting over the side of the bus shelters (Image: Newsquest)

The bus stops with miniature gardens, which were first installed in the Dutch city of Utrecht, are supposed to welcome butterflies and bees to city centres, but it seems they currently have very little to pollinate in Norwich.