To support the delivery of the King’s Cross Estate Nature Strategy, Greengage developed a tailored communications and engagement programme designed to inform and inspire a range of stakeholders about urban biodiversity and the initiatives being delivered across the estate.
As implementation of the Nature Strategy progressed, a need for communication support was identified to ensure key stakeholders understood the purpose, benefits and long-term goals of the work.
Greengage was commissioned to review the stakeholder groups and create engaging content to maximise awareness of the Nature Strategy, while encouraging a wider understanding of urban biodiversity. In turn, this approach aligned with placemaking ambitions and aimed to encourage greater connection with nature, to deliver the health and wellbeing benefits to people visiting, working and living in the King’s Cross estate.
Our approach
Working closely with The King’s Cross Group, we reviewed the key stakeholder groups to assess the most effective type of communication for each.
Stakeholders identified included tenants, residents and public visitors to the estate, as well as The King’s Cross Group staff. Each had different needs and therefore communication requirements, to effectively connect, educate and inspire action.
Credit: Garden State London
Engaging the public
One key part of our work involved collaborating with The King’s Cross Group marketing team, graphic designers and Environment Manager to translate complex ecological concepts into clear, accessible and creative formats suitable for a diverse public audience. This included the development of:
- Interpretation panels with QR codes
- Signposting to citizen science participation opportunities
- A self-guided nature trail with family activity book
The content was integrated into a self-guided trail woven through the estate as part of their Super Nature events programme, allowing visitors to engage at their own pace.
Bee knowledge Super Nature hopscotch on Bagley’s Walk, King’s Cross. Credit: Alison Fairbrass
Super Nature event engagement board in Granary Square, King’s Cross. Credit: Alison Fairbrass
Resident and tenant communications
We also supported The King’s Cross Group Neighbourhood Team to deliver engaging and informative content for tenants and residents, producing a newsletter article and materials for the Neighbourhood Forum. These communications explained the Nature Strategy and provided context for visible activities such as grassland trials taking place across the estate. This engagement provided residents and tenants with an opportunity to feed back with any concerns or queries.
Internal stakeholder support
To support internal engagement, we created presentation content for the Environment Manager to deliver to the Board. This included a clear overview of the Nature Strategy, results from monitoring work undertaken at the estate and upcoming delivery tasks.
Biodiversity monitoring
We also worked with the marketing team to create public-facing signage explaining biodiversity monitoring activities across the estate. QR codes linked directly to biodiversity web content, helping audiences understand the monitoring equipment being used and the importance of the work, both on the estate and in the context of wider conservation aims.
A social media reel (above) was produced with The King’s Cross Group to highlight to the public the grassland research trial taking place on the estate. The trial involved assessing selected plants’ suitability for a changing climate, in order to support local urban biodiversity and healthier, stronger green spaces for people to enjoy into the future. Engaging and informative signage with accompanying QR codes was also created with The King’s Cross Group marketing team, so that the public, residents and tenants could understand the trials.
Industry engagement
To showcase the Nature Strategy and inspire wider industry learning, Greengage and the Environment Manager delivered guided Nature Walks. These highlighted biodiversity enhancements across the estate, ongoing research and upcoming work.
Nature trail stopping point at Gasholder Park, King’s Cross. Credit: Alison Fairbrass
Outcome and impact
The project successfully created a coordinated and accessible communications approach that supported engagement across multiple stakeholder groups. A key challenge, but also opportunity, was understanding the range of stakeholders and ensuring content was specifically tailored for maximum impact.
Close collaboration with The King’s Cross Group teams ensured communications were audience-focused and seamlessly integrated with existing approaches already successfully carried out on the estate. The result was a stronger connection between the estate’s biodiversity initiatives and the people interacting with the estate every day, from residents and visitors to staff and industry professionals.
By tailoring content to different audiences, the work helped improve understanding of the King’s Cross Estate Nature Strategy, increase awareness of urban biodiversity initiatives and encourage participation in environmental activities.
Testimonial
“Greengage’s creative and engaging communications have helped bring our Nature Strategy to life, inspiring greater awareness of biodiversity and strengthening people’s connection with nature across the King’s Cross Estate.”
Angeliki Krania, Senior Sustainability Lead, The Kings Cross Group
