The expansion of the Metro Centre to restore its status as Europe’s largest shopping centre has presented an opportunity to review its landscape setting, now some 18 years old. Responding to the architecture of the red quadrant extension RLD has introduced a unique and strong landscape style using mainly evergreen material. New planting provides expansive sweeps of clipped ‘hedges’, avenues and linear sequences of seasonal herbaceous stock. The species palette is limited and this simplicity reinforces the clean lines and geometry of the design. It also enables the site to be easily maintained, particularly advantageous given the Centre’s opening hours and year-round popularity.