Real estate adviser GVA has welcomed a lively new set of tenants to Manchester’s Ship Canal House thanks to an initiative being rolled out nationally.
The company’s Property Management Consultancy team has coordinated the installation of rooftop beehives at Ardstone Capital’s Ship Canal House in Manchester city centre.
The introduction of the hives is in response to declining numbers of bees in Britain and the locations will host two hives of around 40,000 honey bees (Apis Mellifera) each.
The hives are being introduced as part of a broader effort to curb the nationwide decline in bee numbers by reintroducing bees to urban areas while helping the developments to make a positive contribution to their local environments.
Alongside producing honey, pollen, wax and propolis – which have nutritional, craft, manufacturing and medical applications – bees are intrinsic in supporting the food chain, with around one third of the foods that we regularly eat reliant on pollination from bees.
Two beehives have been installed on the roof of the iconic building on King Street in the city centre. The honey produced will be harvested towards the end of the summer and will be available later in the year for Ship Canal House occupiers to purchase. The proceeds will go to support local work of The Wildlife Trust.
The initiative is part of a national project, which is being delivered in partnership with environmental experts Nurture, to install beehives at GVA managed sites across the UK. Rooftop beehives have also been installed at Brindleyplace and Calthorpe Estate’s Pebble Mill schemes in Birmingham.
Matthew Mears, director of Property Management at GVA, said: “We are always looking for ways to go beyond the traditional understanding of property management by finding new means of adding value to our clients’ assets.
“The installation of these hives is a fantastic way for our clients to demonstrate their support of the local environment and to engage with tenants and staff on site. Bees form such an integral part of our ecology and we’re exceptionally pleased that this concept has been embraced by our clients.”
He continues: “For a long time the bee has represented Manchester’s hard-working past, especially during the Industrial revolution and more recently it has come to represent the City’s resilience in the aftermath of the awful terror attacks. To be able to nurture and support the City’s bees is something of which we are very proud and we look forward to seeing them thrive at Ship Canal House.”
The beehives and apiary services will be provided by professional bee keepers, Nurture, with the hives now fully on site.
