Google's £1billion London office invaded by foxes after they make for HQ's soil and 250-tree roof garden

Daily Mail​

a day ago

Google 's swanky new London offices have been invaded by foxes, who have targetted its soil and roof garden.
The tech giant's £1billion proposed headquarters are set to be its first completely owned and designed site outside of the US.
But the whopping 11-storey building, which will be home to up to 7,000 employees when it eventually opens, has been hit with a setback from the natural world after a group of pesky creatures started using it as a playground.
The foxes have swarmed on to the state-of-the-art rooftop garden at the King's Cross 'landscraper', making an impact on construction there.
Google told The Guardian this impact has been 'minimal', but sources familiar with the site had caused issues over a three-year period.
They corroborated an initial report issued by the London Centric newsletter and confirmed that the animals had begun digging holes in the swish gardens.
One said: 'There's a little hole in the garden where one lives.
'We've seen her all around the building – one second she's on the fifth floor, the next she's on the garden floor. No one has been able to catch her.'
Other people have spotted fox poo strewn across the grounds of the ultra-modern offices, which is home to 250 trees and boasts 40,000 tonnes of soil.
Mosh Latifi, co-director of pest control firm EcoCare, said: 'Foxes thrive quite well on rodents – we don't live more than three metres away from the nearest rat.'
He added that he had also seen animals searching for food on similar construction sites, where workers sometimes leave morsels behind.
Another local pest control expert suggested that London will remain a home for foxes, due to leaky pipes and offerings from nearby businesses.
Plans for the new offices were first unveiled in 2013 and construction commenced five years later.
In 2022, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, and Keir Starmer were in attendance at a topping-off ceremony.
Mr Khan said: 'This project represents a real vote of confidence in London, in our communities and in our flourishing tech sector.'
The site is estimated to be completed later this year.
The spectacular 300-metre rooftop garden spans the length of the buildings and takes up the seventh to eleventh floors.
The garden was designed to play host to birds, bats, butterflies and bees - as well as the new canine occupants.
It also boasts a running track, pool, fitness area and spots for dining and deckchairs.
A Google spokesperson said: 'Fox sightings at construction sites are pretty common, and our King's Cross development is no exception.
'While foxes have been occasionally spotted at the site, their appearances have been brief and have had minimal impact on the ongoing construction.'
Such issues are not unusual in construction sites, with London's vast fox population sometimes wreaking havoc on developing buildings.
The city's tallest building, the Shard, experienced a hiccup as it was being built in 2011, with a fox named Romeo tucking into leftovers from builders' lunches.
He was eventually caught, given a checkup and then released back onto the streets.