Kew will also use the refurbishment – which will see the glass house closed for five years from 2027 – to reduce emissions from the Palm House to net zero. The planning permission for the project has now been submitted, and some of the plants that make up the indoor tropical rainforest have started to be relocated.

Kew Gardens will shut its iconic tropical plant greenhouse for up to four years as part of a major net zero drive. The Grade I-listed Victorian Palm House is set to undergo extensive renovations to replace century-old gas boilers with modern heat pumps.

Hugh Broughton Architects has submitted plans for a £60 million revamp of the famous 176-year-old Palm House at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew