Dig for Victory - Mark II

Primrose

Ceridwen - many thanks for the Greenpeace link. I am totally opposed to a third runway on environmental grounds so will sign up and will forward the link on friends. And from a pollution and noise viewpoint, anybody who doesn't live under or near a flightpath has no idea of the misery the constant over-flying of aircraft can cause.

Larumbelle

Have opened my email this morning to a flurry of out-of-office replies from MPs :rolleyes: If nothing else we are causing a nuisance

I had to bump this thread up because I cannot believe the short-sightedness and stupidity of my local council. There's an organisation here called Allesley Park Walled Garden, and it's the type of organisation we need more of.

The walled garden group are in the process of restoring the walled garden to it's former glory. When they took it on the walled garden was just a walled wasteland. As well as researching and growing heritage varieties as might have been originally grown there, they sell the produce they grow at good-value prices at their own markets alongside home-made produce. They organise events for both children and adults to learn more about gardening and veggies in particular. It is self-funding and volunteer-run. The only contribution the council makes is giving permission to use the land.

Unfortunately, the council has not only refused permission to the group to expand, it has just pulled permission to use the existing land :mad: I know this isn't very coherent but I am FUMING!

nodwah

what possibly reason could they have for that?

Lotus-eater

Look a lovely garden and project, time for a local effort to change it.

Hope it is saved. What reason do the council give for closing it?

Primrose

I read in the paper yesterday that the National Trust are planning to allocate patches of land on many of their properties for use as allotments by members of the public. I think this is a spendid initiative which hopefully will help to reduce the waiting list in some areas where there is a shortage of space for them. But they will have to get a move on with this project as people will want to start digging and preparing them at the beginning of the growing season.

ceridwen

Hi Primrose

Do you have a link for that article you mention purlease?

Silver Charming - quite agree with you. In your position I would be wondering if the Council was planning to develop that land? What - now? - in the current economic climate? Who would want it?

ceridwen

www.Coventry-walks.org.uk/APWGG/photo-gallery.html

Re walled garden Silver Charming mentions.

Does look nice....

Primrose

Ceridwen - it was in the Daily Telegraph. They're all out in the recycling bin now and it's pouring with rain but if I can get out there later and find it, I'll come back and post. You could try Googling "National Trust" and "Allotments" - might flag up some information.

Larumbelle

nodwah wrote: »

what possibly reason could they have for that?

They say that because it's a public space they'd have to get permission from the charities commission to allow them any more of the land - now they're saying that even the quarter plot they gave the project might be 'illegal'. They say that applying to to the charities commission 'could' be 'costly' - it beggars belief that they didn't look into the cost before making their decision - and the council say they've seen 'no evidence' that there are enough volunteers to run the place. Hopefully now there'll be a deluge of them, I know that I am going to put my name down now even though I'm going to have a tough time squeezing it in.
Unfortunately there is some local opposition. There's a fair bit of snobbery from some of the locals who consider the area too good for 'allotments' (the walled garden is in one of the most affluent parts of Coventry). Because all that was left of the walled garden was the ancient espaliers they think that's all that was ever there! And there's a small but vocal group of locals who would prefer that it remained a wasteland so they could walk their dogs on it :rolleyes: Seriously. It's not like there's a shortage of fallow land round here for them to let their dogs c**p on.

For me, this was the ideal kind of local project we should be striving for, not shutting down! Anyway, if anyone reading this is in the Coventry area would like to volunteer, check out this page: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/about/community/volunteers/projects/environment/allesley_park/ It's the Warwick uni volunteering page, but all of the information is still relevant

Primrose

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/4325171/National-Trust-to-give-land-for-allotments.html