An Eden Project Field Guide to
Tony Kendle Tony Kendle started his horticulture career in Southend
Parks Department. After studying at the University of Bath he
worked on revegetating china clay mines in Cornwall. Then he taught
horticulture and community horticulture at the University of
Reading and this led to a key role at the Eden Project developing
the technology for creating the garden as part of the early
development team. Now he works on new project development and
teaches on Eden’s horticulture courses.
Jane Knight Jane joined the Eden Team in 2002, eighteen months
after the Eden Project opened. As in-house landscape architect, she
works on the on-going development of the enclosed biomes, outdoor
gardens and wider estate. Jane also leads on many of Eden’s varied
outreach and consultancy projects including a Peace Park in Kosovo,
mine restoration in South Africa and, most recently, new
initiatives in China and the Middle East. Wherever possible, she
creates places where children and young people can be actively
engaged in the natural world. Prior to Eden, Jane was Director of a
landscape architecture practice in Hong Kong and also worked in the
UK, USA and Australia.
Jane Stoneham Jane Stoneham is Director of the Sensory Trust. With
a background in social horticulture, Jane’s work has focused on how
people of all ages and abilities can be engaged, challenged and
revitalised by their environment. Early involvement with the
development of the Eden Project led to the building of a close
partnership between Eden and the Sensory Trust. Publications
include Landscape Design for Elderly and Disabled People, Making
Connections: a guide to accessible greenspace design and Historic
England’s Easy Access to Historic Landscapes.
About the authors
Eden Project Publications
Published by Eden Project Publications © 2015.
Designed by Judy Caley and Paul Barrett. Edited by Robert Lowe,
Juliet Rose and Mike Petty.
Additional text on Forest gardens by Emma Pilgrim, University of
Exeter.
This book has been produced for the Big Lunch Extras programme —
the Eden Project’s way of supporting and enabling people to become
more active within their communities and deliver the social change
they want to see.
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Tony Kendle, Jane Knight, and Jane Stoneham
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Why do it? The value of community green spaces 6
Ways to get involved with green spaces 12
Different types of community green space 20
Ten steps for creating a community green space 46
Great green space features 70
Creative ideas to bring your green space to life 94
Conclusion 102
Contents
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Introduction A community green space is a garden or area of land
designed to benefit the whole community. It is about influence and
control, a place that is managed (and maybe owned) by ‘us,’ not
‘them’.
Throughout history people have had a close working relationship
with the land. It is only in modern industrialised societies that
we have lost that close bond; many of us can now live our entire
lives without needing to dig soil or plant a tree.
Recently, communities have begun to reassert their need and right
to have access to land in the face of growing corporate enclosure
and local authoritiy ownership that fails to address the genuine
needs of their population.
Community gardening needs careful thought. What are these spaces
for? The word community has its roots in the Latin communitas,
which translates as ‘joint possession or use’; this tells us that
the essence of the idea is mutual support and relationships, not
just a common geography. People living near each other are not a
community unless they also share with one another.
The Eden Project’s Big Lunch is based on this principle –
encouraging people to gather together and share food, and also to
share the organisation of the event. Increasingly there is evidence
that, following on from this, new community activities take place
and social isolation begins to break down.
This is the key produce from a community garden. At its root, it
exists to strengthen bonds, to give people a focus to get to know
and support each other. Knowing this brings subtle changes to the
way things are done, where the goal is to grow a flower, a fruit, a
conversation, a smile, or trust.
Tony Kendle
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Why do it? The value of community green spaces Taking
responsibility for a piece of land for the benefit of the whole
community is a significant undertaking. There are lots of benefits
to setting up a community green space, but it’s really important to
work out what you want to achieve and why.
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Taking on an unloved patch of land and turning it into a community
green space sends an important message to everyone in your
community, and the people who visit it: we care about where we
live. A sense of shared purpose and pride in your neighbourhood can
improve its reputation and make it a more desirable place to live,
but its impact is more than just cosmetic.
Green spaces can also help offset some of the impact of climate
change. They store carbon through plants and trees – and trees can
also help to reduce the urban heat island (UHI) effect, which can
have an adverse effect on air and water quality.
And it’s not just people who benefit from green spaces – they are
home to all sorts of birds, insects and other creatures, increasing
the biodiversity of an area.
Caring for the local environment
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Well-planned green spaces offer neutral ground where people of
different ages, backgrounds, abilities, and cultures can meet and
share experiences and knowledge. This can help reduce social
isolation and really bring people together.
Your green space might begin as a blank slate (or a very overgrown
one) but if local people are encouraged to take ownership of it, it
will become a vital part of your community’s infrastructure. It can
be used for all sorts of activities, from training sessions to
celebrations, from wild play to yoga – the choice is yours.
Enhancing community cohesion
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Wanting to do something for children is often cited as a reason
creating or acquiring a green space – and green spaces can offer
much more than just a place for play equipment. They can provide
young people with somewhere to hang out and socialise.
They can also give people who don’t have gardens a chance to sit
outside, socialise or garden together. The key aim is to create
places that people of all ages and abilities can use and
enjoy.
Improving facilities and opportunities
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Community green spaces can provide an opportunity to learn new
skills. As well as practical horticulture and landscape skills,
many green space projects will require project management skills
such as planning, the ability to budget, and work collaboratively.
On a big project you might not need to hire anybody; you might find
someone with these skills is already on your team.
Other less obvious skills you might need include public speaking,
which many people find daunting but generally gets easier over
time; and you’ll need patience and attention to detail to
understand how local government works.
A green space project is also a great opportunity to find ‘buried
treasure’: relevant skills and knowledge that people in your
community already have. A good way to find out what people already
know and can do is to hold a ‘skills audit’. This could take the
form of a survey (paper, online or both), or just a board on which
people can scribble what they can contribute. Remember, it’s not
always the loudest people who have the most to offer, so find a way
to ensure that anyone who is interested can volunteer – a Facebook
page, say, or an email address for the project.
There are some things that you will need a professional for – so if
you don’t have one in your group consider asking a lawyer or an
architect for some pro bono (free) help. Don’t expect unlimited pro
bono support, but it’s a good place to start. If you get positive
publicity for your project, you might be able to use that to help
promote them in return.
Above all, the ability to get on with other people and see their
point of view will stand you in good stead on any community
project.
Learn new skills and find hidden talents
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use
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Ways to get involved with green spaces Getting a green space going
can be a bit daunting, but there are lots of ways you can test the
water and get involved without having to make a huge commitment.
You can also gain insight into some of the requirements and decide
whether to start up your own project.
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Community green spaces aren’t just about horticulture, but if you
want to get gardening there is a wealth of information on the Royal
Horticultural Society (RHS) website; there’s a postcode finder that
will hook you up with groups in your community. It will help you
work out how you can volunteer and use your skills to transform
local areas into horticultural havens to be proud of.
www.rhs.org.uk/communities
In 2009, Garden Organic set up a Master Gardener programme to
provide local advice and support to people and communities
interested in growing food. There are now groups of Master
Gardeners around the country who inspire people to grow food, help
remove barriers that prevent people from growing, and offer support
with growing skills. If you love gardening and would like to share
your skills and interest, this is a great initiative.
www.mastergardeners.org.uk
If you are keen on exercise, why not join one of The Conservation
Volunteers’ (TCV) Green Gyms® which operate around the UK? Green
Gyms are fun and free outdoor exercise sessions in which you can
get involved in practical activities such as planting trees, sowing
meadows and establishing wildlife ponds. Unlike other conservation
projects, the emphasis is very much on health and fitness –
volunteers warm up and cool down in preparation for a range of
light to vigorous activities to suit all abilities.
www.tcv.org.uk/greengym
Become a Master Gardener
Join a Green Gym
:)
Landshare is an initiative established by Hugh
Fearnley-Whittingstall to connect growers with people with land to
share – gardens as well as fields. Many elderly people find their
gardens too difficult to look after as they get older and would
like people to help with them. Garden shares are also a great way
to also help with their isolation and loneliness.
www.landshare.net
You may not have to look far to find a suitable green space. Many
local authorities own under- utilised and unloved areas, empty
except for a play park. These green deserts are often managed and
maintained by sub-contractors without reference to the surrounding
community’s needs and wishes. They can also become focal points for
antisocial activity which can put people off from using or even
passing through them.
Setting up an informal ‘Friends of…’ organisation that takes an
interest in the maintenance and use of a green space can be a good
way to determine how much interest there is in such a project
without having to find a plot of land and work out who owns it or
how to acquire it. You’ll need to decide on the purpose of the
group collectively - is it a pressure group for improvements, a
fundraising group or just volunteers helping out with the
maintenance and upkeep, organising litter picks and events? It’s
also a good idea to contact the local authority first and tell them
you are planning to set this up, they often prove valuable
allies.
Some local authorities are keen to divest themselves of the
responsibility of maintenance, so your community could end up
running a green space under contract, or even owning it as a
community asset.
Join Landshare
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use
Another way to get involved in green space activities, without the
commitment of finding or managing a space, is to enter Britain in
Bloom. Run by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), Britain in
Bloom sees over 1,600 communities of all sizes take part every
year.
It’s been running for over 50 years, so there is a fair amount of
competition out there. You start by taking part in regional and
national competitions before working up to Britain in Bloom itself.
It’s a bit of a commitment but it’s a good way to instil pride in a
place and people often rally to something that is already
recognised. It doesn’t have to be about prettifying a place or
winning first prize if you don’t want it to be – you can make as
quirky as the place you live in.
See the RHS website for further details of the competition and the
support they provide.
www.rhs.org.uk/communities/campaigns/britain-in-bloom
A lot of land sits empty awaiting development and this can be a
chance to negotiate use in the short term. If you’re lucky you
might find land where the developer decides not to build for a
while or at all. Meanwhile Gardens in Hammersmith (one of the first
examples of vibrant community garden developments in the UK) and
Camley Street Nature Reserve near King’s Cross are two examples
where the occupants did not surrender the land to the landowners as
per the original agreement and new agreements were reached
amicably. Developers are now warier of these deals but it can still
be worth exploring options, especially if you just want to see if
other community members are interested in a green space
project.
See The Meanwhile Foundation website for more information.
www.meanwhile.org.uk
Boscawen Park
A good example of a community working with the local authority to
revitalise a local, urban fringe park. The Friends of Boscawen Park
in Truro organised community consultation, developed a fundraising
programme that secured £100,000 from the local authority and
£100,000 of landfill tax for new play and infrastructure
developments, and attracted professional design input. The park
opened to a very enthusiastic and appreciative community in July
2015.
www.facebook.com/boscawenpark
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Different types of community green space Every neighbourhood is
different. Don’t be put off if there isn’t an obvious patch of
wasteland on your doorstep that’s ripe to be transformed. It’s not
all about having acres of land. Somewhere small at the heart of
your community could be a better bet than a huge patch of land on
the outskirts that is poorly served by public transport. Take a
tour of your neighbourhood and explore the options.
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With austerity cuts many patches of land previously managed by
local authorities are being abandoned, and adoption by the
community can be the only way to preserve them in reasonable shape,
or to improve them. If you’ve started a Friends of… type of group
to support the local park, a contract to maintain or manage it
could be the next logical step.
Areas of land that continue to be owned and managed by the local
authority, or another organisation, might also be available for
community use, although this will inevitably involve negotiations
to agree sharing of responsibilities and use. Many parks contain
important trees and historic elements that must be carefully
preserved. Taking control can also mean taking responsibility for
them. This might mean being legally liable for their upkeep, so
factor insurance and regular tree inspections into any budgeting
you do.
Whilst some local authorities have failed to see the benefits of
working more closely with their local communities, others believe
that involving communities in the management of parks helps to
ensure they reflect local needs and makes them more sustainable in
the long-term. For example, in Bristol there are around 30
community park groups that take an active role in the management
and improvement of their local parks. The council have even
produced a Community Action Toolkit to make it easier for people to
get involved.
www.bristol.gov.uk/page/leisure-and-culture/get-involved-parks
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Union Street Urban Orchard
Go to Union Street in Southwark today and all you’ll see is a
concrete yard beside a railway line. But if you’d passed by in
2010, you’d have seen a very different sight: fruit trees.
Created in just six weeks by an organisation of designer-makers led
by Heather Ring, the Union Street Urban Orchard was built by over
100 volunteers, who picked up new skills in carpentry and
horticulture along the way. The result was a pop-up orchard and a
key feature of the Festival of Architecture. The orchard was home
to 85 fruit trees and host to workshops and discussions - as well
as a zero-carbon pod that was occupied throughout the project. As
soon as the fruit was harvested, the orchard was dismantled and the
trees distributed to community gardens and local estates, providing
a real and lasting legacy for the project.
Photo © SC Smith Creative Commons
Allotments are already a kind of community garden, but they are
generally divided into plots which are rented and worked on by
individuals rather than collectively. There are usually limits to
what can be done with the plots or on the site depending on the
allotment association you belong to.
There are around 340,000 allotment plots in the UK. Most allotments
are managed by the local authority, though there are over 8,000
owned by parish or town councils. There’s estimated to be around
90,000 people on allotment waiting-lists across the country. Local
authorities outside of London are legally obliged to find space for
allotments. All you need is to get six people who are on the
electoral register – registered for council tax – to write a letter
requesting allotments. However, although the councils are legally
obliged to provide land there is no set timescale for this, which
is one reason for the long waiting lists. If you live in London
then unfortunately your council has no obligation to provide
allotments.
Wherever you live, if your council can’t or won’t oblige you could
always approach a private landowner or another organisation, such
as the Church of England, and ask if they are willing to rent space
for allotments.
Allotment soil may be in good condition, but it is likely to have a
large weed bank. In many cases water supply and vehicle access
already exist, although a power supply is less common. Allotments
can be friendly and generous places, so if you want a more
structured kind of green space but one that has a sense of
community, an allotment might be one way forward.
Allotments
Further reading and resources
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Community orchards can bring a community together. They are great
places for celebrations or school visits, and offer habitats for
wildlife, wildflowers and bees. If you don’t have a piece of land
available you could try establishing them on verges, roundabouts
and roadsides, or consider a dispersed model using local people’s
gardens. Two-thirds of the UK’s orchards have been lost since 1960,
so a community orchard can help reverse this trend.
Faster results can be achieved by using trees and soft fruit that
is already cropping – there is a good range now available from
nurseries and garden centres.
Community orchards
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Graveyards don’t often feature on lists of green spaces, but in
recent years interest has grown in these overlooked resources. Some
sites contain very old trees or patches of woodland and even
remnant grassland, and already lend themselves to being managed as
nature reserves and havens for wildlife. Some are managed for
cultural reasons, for example Highgate Cemetery in London is
managed by a Trust and receives lots of visitors each year because
of its gothic setting and the famous people buried there.
Churchyards are rarely used for food growing or other community
activities but making an approach to the church or the parish
council which cares for it can’t hurt. Disturbance to plots must be
minimised and access to graves maintained, so the most successful
uses will often be light-touch activities that can be dispersed
around the site, such as bee-keeping.
Many of our towns have suffered because of competition from ‘out of
town’ shopping and it is now widely accepted that town centres need
to re-invent themselves as attractive places to live, work and play
as well as shop. Street trees, upgrading planting areas and floral
displays are a popular way to get involved in a community planting
initiative.
If your town has a BID (Business Improvement District), this would
be a good place to start. Local traders pay a levy to the BID and
this is used for improvements such as floral displays and Christmas
lights.
Church grounds and graveyards
Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park
Every week, community organisation Grounded Ecotherapy work in
Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, one of London’s ‘Magnificent Seven’
cemeteries. No one has been buried in the cemetery since 1966, and
the Friends and volunteers have been improving this special site
for people and for nature, and dealing progressively with the
legacy of decades of neglect. The Friends manage the park on behalf
of LBTH Parks. Cemetery Park is an official Local Nature Reserve as
well as a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature
Conservation.
www.fothcp.org
Photo © Allen V Morris
Many farmers are interested in diversifying from conventional forms
of agriculture, and this presents an increasing number of
opportunities for community initiatives. More remote areas of
farmland are unlikely to lend themselves to being a community
resource, but edgeland fields or farms swallowed by the urban
sprawl are prime sites for gardens and city farms.
This kind of land will inevitably come with a heavy ‘weed bank’ and
possibly a residue of pesticides, which will be particularly
significant if you are planning to grow organic food on the land.
Access will often be poor with limited infrastructure of paths,
water, power, toilets and parking, so these often need to be
included in new plans. But all these problems can be solved with
time and fundraising.
Farmland
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Making a community project in a hospital or other healthcare
setting offers real benefits to people who most need them –
patients, families and staff dealing with challenging situations.
These sites often have spare land but it may only be available
short-term – hospitals are notorious for sudden changes of plans,
and the land you have in mind may suddenly be required for new car
parks and buildings. A safer option might be to adopt an area of a
site that’s difficult to build on, a nature area for example.
Negotiating access with the NHS can be challenging so it’s best to
find an enthusiastic insider with sufficient authority to make
decisions who can help steer you through.
Health Centres and hospital grounds
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Royal Edinburgh Community Gardens
There is a long history of hospital gardening, one that the Chair
of NHS Lothian drew on when he invited the Federation of Farms and
City Gardeners to discuss how some of the 15-acre grounds of Royal
Edinburgh Hospital could be turned into a community garden.
A three-acre piece of derelict ground was selected and a steering
group made up of NHS officers and local community groups began
developing the brief. As well as places to grow, they allocated
space for a woodland walk and a forest garden. The garden is now
well-established and open three days a week. Over 20 community
groups have been involved and thousands of volunteer hours clocked
up. It’s not just local people who take care of the garden – former
patients at the hospital regularly come and lend a hand.
www.cyrenians.scot
Yum Yum Yum
Yum Yum Yum
Community green spaces don’t have to be large open spaces – if
there is a shortage of land then smaller pockets of land, people’s
gardens or even individual trees can be networked into a dispersed
green space for growing. This kind of approach can still have a
strong sense of community, especially if everyone is growing the
same things and everyone pools what they’ve harvested to make
something. You could follow the example of Cardiff Hops and get
people growing hops in their back gardens and work with a brewery
to produce beer, or all grow and harvest the same fruit or
vegetables to make a local jam or chutney.
See the Eden Field Guide to Community Food Projects for more
details.
Dispersed community gardens
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If you’re short of space, flat roof surfaces can make great green
spaces, but there are two critical technical issues that have to be
solved before they are safe to use.
The first issue is that most roofs are not designed to carry
significant weight – not even people, let alone wet soil in heavy
planters. One solution (following a structural survey) is to locate
them over load-bearing parts of the roof, such as above pillars.
Another option that the University of Bath developed successfully
is the use of ultra- light planters.
The second major technical challenge is adequate waterproofing to
prevent structural damage to the buildings. With an increased
interest in roof gardening there is now a range of effective
membrane systems on the market.
Access to roofs for machinery and heavy soil can be difficult; the
best roof gardens are designed and built at the same time as the
building. Parapets and edges obviously need to be carefully
reviewed, as do fire risks and emergency access procedures. There
are many planters available to buy – but check weight and drainage
first.
Rooftops
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108 9
Schools are natural centres in communities. Many have under-
utilised landscapes because they lack the resources to develop them
into outdoor learning spaces, and most are not used at weekends,
evenings and holidays. A community garden can be a good way to make
use of the land.
The safety of the children and the security of the school will be
primary concerns, and an important early step will be to find out
how this might affect how you use the grounds. You need to find out
when there is access, and if it is limited to outside school hours.
You may need to follow the school’s safety procedures and
participants might be required to have a Disclosure and Barring
Service (DBS) check (this has replaced the old Criminal Records
Bureau check).
Logistics are also important, like access to water, toilets,
storage for tools and materials and scope for vehicles to deliver
and pick up. It’s important to check accessibility for disabled
participants.
If you are planning to share the space with the school, it is a
good idea to agree how you will share growing space, expenditure,
produce and responsibility for upkeep. Aim for community activities
that will not disrupt school activities or cause complications with
school security.
While a school garden may involve local people as volunteers, a
school community garden goes further and actively engages local
people in its planning, development and day-to-day work. A school
may be happy to release part of its grounds for use solely by your
community group. Alternatively, you could develop something
together and harness the benefits of building closer links between
the school and its wider community.
Making plans
School grounds
108 9
Plans may develop through informal discussions but it is important
to develop a documented agreement with the school in case the
people involved or circumstances change.
Explore options for funding, ideally in collaboration with the
school, governors and parent bodies whose links with local
companies and organisations can help with donation of materials,
money and time. There may be Department of Education funds for
schools to extend use of their estates by community groups.
See the Eden Field Guide to Working with Young People for further
advice on working with schools.
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Edgelands are found on the outskirts of towns and tend to be a
random mix of industrial sites of different sizes, canals and
abandoned or derelict land. Sites are usually in private or public
ownership but have the advantage that access is often easy if the
land can be bought. Power and water supply are often limited and
the land may be polluted or low grade, and perhaps infested with
ragwort and knotweed so careful clearance may be required.
Community groups around the world have created gardens and even
city farms as a result of negotiating access and squeezing into the
tiny and awkwardly shaped pockets of land alongside railway lines.
In the UK, National Rail own the ‘permanent way’ – the land, the
track bed and the fixtures such as the railway track etc. They also
own related land for which they are legally responsible, but
generally have no real interest in managing or maintaining. These
areas, often scrubby after years of neglect and clearance, will
take some hard work. Obviously nothing is allowed on this land that
will threaten safety of the users or the passing trains – so no
bonfires! There is a Community Scheme organised by Network Rail
that provides an opportunity for local groups to improve disused
and neglected land – old platforms, land by stations etc.
Alongside railway tracks
Edgelands
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Such sites are often surrounded by large areas of underused land
that could be made more use of. This can include hard standing and
rooftops.
Security will be a primary concern for owners, and this will need
careful negotiation, especially if you need access out of working
hours.
Commercial and industrial land
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Woodlands and forests are generally among the larger community
green spaces, and often require specialist skills to manage. But
plenty of communities have taken on the challenge. In Scotland, the
majority of the 200 community-owned forests have been purchased
from the Scottish Forestry Commission. In England and Wales, they
have mostly been bought directly from landowners and run as social
enterprises, but a few, like Raincliffe Woods in Scarborough, have
been acquired by a community asset transfer from the local
authority.
Managing woodlands is a challenge but they have a lot to offer.
Community-owned woodlands can provide walking and mountain bike
trails, as well as training opportunities in traditional woodland
crafts, and income from managing the timber.
Woodlands and biodiversity areas
Just right!
Look hard enough and you’ll see that cities and towns are full of
gap sites – neglected spaces where proposed developments have
failed to happen. Even newer housing developments hold
possibilities, though potential sites are often delineated as green
space already. They might comprise of dense turf and trees, or be
landscaped and covered with thickets of ornamental shrubs, so
clearance is tricky and may be contested.
Obtaining access to power or water may require negotiation with
adjacent householders, perhaps in return for access or a share of
any produce you might grow.
Neighbourhood spaces
© Marchmont Community Garden
Marchmont Community Garden
When a proposed site for key worker housing was deemed too small
for development, local residents decided to make the best of what
was otherwise just a piece of wasteland, and turn it into a fully
accessible community garden that increased biodiversity. With the
help of the London Wildlife Trust, and a steering group of
residents and partner organisations, they secured £100,000 of Big
Lottery funding and took a peppercorn lease on the site. Activities
on the site have included planting events and choirs singing
Christmas carols, and the garden provided a venue for the first
Marchmont Street Party. The Marchmont Association has now been set
up and they have their eye on other neglected gems in the
neighbourhood that are in need of a bit of a polish.
www.marchmontassociation.org.uk
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Ten steps for creating a community green space There are no set
rules to developing a community green space project, but there are
some general principles that are worth thinking about and applying
to make it more inclusive and easier to do. We’ve put together ten
that we think are worth including, however big, small, high or low
your green space is.
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If you are setting up a green space from scratch, you need to get
organised.
Set up a Working Group – it should include people with authority to
make decisions and time to keep things moving forward.
Identify a project manager to lead and supervise the work; ‘project
manager’ has become an increasingly common job description, so
finding one shouldn’t be too difficult – it might be you! – though
if you can find someone with experience of physical or construction
projects so much the better. He or she must be experienced in
dealing with the technical issues likely to arise, and able to make
decisions quickly.
Find people who can help both locally and nationally, with useful
expertise, and relevant experience, or who might help raise funds,
promote and advocate, help with the design, construction and
maintenance.
1. Assemble a team
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There are lots of different options out there, so it’s a good idea
to go and talk to people who have set up a green space already.
Pick one that is similar to the site you have in mind and find out
what the pitfalls and advantages are. You should also ask your
community what they want, as their ideas and input will help ensure
the green space is regularly used.
Take a creative approach to consultation – it doesn’t have to be
surveys on doorsteps. Creative community engagement approaches can
help people to think beyond the everyday and use their
imaginations. Make it fun, while remembering that different
approaches may be needed for different groups. Keep the community
in the picture about what’s happening, and be sure to involve
people in all stages of the proceedings.
If you have access to the space you want to develop (and it’s safe
and legal to do so), you could consider hosting an engagement event
there. If you don’t, or if you’re still looking for a place to
develop, then pick somewhere that the community use regularly or
where you’re likely to encounter a range of local people.
Ask people what they want to do in the space, not what they want
included. Try to identify what the most important things are by
asking open questions – for example, if you had £10k, what would be
the first thing you’d do in this area?
And get beyond the dog poo! Every community has a ‘pet’ gripe or
issue about their green space and everyone needs an opportunity to
get this off their chest. Consultation on change won’t get beyond
this unless it’s acknowledged and addressed, so get it out of the
way early on.
2. Collect ideas
What would you like to get rid of?
What do you like about the place?
What should be kept?
What would you like to do?
What kind of space would you like to have?
Community Service Volunteers (CSV) has 50 years’ experience in
recruiting and supporting full-time volunteers to help individuals
and organisations come together to build stronger communities
through better services and more fulfilling lives. They may be able
to help with your project by organising a team of volunteers or
providing the professional skills of one of their volunteers:
www.csv.org.uk
Groundwork is a national organisation which, from regional hubs,
forges partnerships to carry out thousands of projects, including
green space projects, every year: www.groundwork.org.uk
Business in the Community (BITC) is a national charity which
mobilises members of its business network to support their
programmes. They believe in community investment and, through local
offices, support communities most in need, with time, skills, money
and expertise. They also support Employee Volunteering, where staff
at all levels donate time and skills during work hours to tackle
local social issues. Contact your regional BITC office to see if
they can help your project: www.bitc.org.uk
GoodGym in London is a community of runners who get fit by doing
good. They run in groups to do manual labour for community
organisations. They have helped deliver turf to the Southbank Roof
Garden: www.goodgym.org
Further reading and resources
Photo © Camley Street © Kate Symonds
It’s important to understand your site fully before you plan
anything in detail. Start by recording what’s already there in
terms of features and plants.
3. Survey your site
Slopes – great for play. Microclimates – shady places and sun
traps, wind tunnels
and frost pockets.
Views.
Think about what’s below ground too, as this may be a constraint on
what you can do.
Utility companies will provide information on any pipes and cables
etc., (and can also come and mark them on the ground before any
construction work starts).
Physical characteristics to look for:
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Although great ideas often start off on the back of an envelope or
scribbled on a napkin (like the Eden Project) you will need to make
a proper plan to:
Show what fits where – what works together?
Explain to your community what is going to happen.
Show how the site will develop in phases, e.g. when funding becomes
available.
Secure funding.
4. Make a plan
The first decision: dividing the space – common or private? Many
people struggle when there is just one big open space with no
boundaries, as they find it hard to know where to start and who is
responsible for what. Often dividing a garden into small plots or
allotments will encourage quicker uptake, especially if this is
complemented by a shared infrastructure such as tool and seed store
and water supply.
Create a plan Master plans have pros and cons – they are essential
for getting funders and local authority support but they can be
overwhelming for community members who might feel unable to
contribute. It is better to leave some areas that can be developed
more organically by community members where possible.
Plan your space
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Working with a designer on a plan can save a lot of time and
provide easy shortcuts for your project. Some designers only advise
or project manage, others offer a design and build service. Whether
you need a designer or not will depend on the scale and complexity
of the project you’re undertaking. Even if it is a big plan, a
designer can help you phase it into manageable chunks.
Hiring a designer can be expensive, so fundraising may be required.
A local firm might offer pro bono services – design or perhaps
project management. Other options include trying local college
courses; it could be a good student project with the right
supervision.
Creating more opportunities for children and young people is often
a key reason for starting a project. A great play space can offer a
huge amount to the community – play is really important to the
health and wellbeing of children who are spending increasing
amounts of time in the digital world.
A word of caution though – it’s really easy to go to a play
equipment company. They often offer a planning and design service
as part of the package, but you need to make sure you get what
people want. Sometimes simpler is better. An engagement activity
that starts with a catalogue will end up with a shopping list, not
necessarily a great play experience for kids. If you go down this
route, make sure that it delivers value for money and will keep
children interested in the long term. For the best value, look for
play equipment that is robust and multi-functional, and plan for
all ages – babies and toddlers may not be able to express
themselves but parents will want something they can use too.
Working with designers – the design process
Play
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Also consider less costly alternatives which may, perhaps in
combination with traditional play equipment, provide more
interesting and varied opportunities for play. The natural world
provides a rich environment for play and it is vitally important
that children have contact with nature. A varied place with trees
for climbing and loose branches for den building is a great place
to play. Loose parts that can be used for multiple purposes and
some container storage could be just as much fun.
When planning play spaces for children, don’t forget the adults! If
they are relaxed and comfortable while keeping an eye on what’s
going on, the children will play for longer and have more fun and
imaginative play.
Project Dirt Project Dirt is a community of people doing green
space and environmental projects - www.projectdirt.com
Play England Play England have produced a wide range of great
resources on play www.playengland.org.uk/resources.aspx
Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens Promotes and offers
training and advice on setting up community gardens
www.farmgarden.org.uk
Landscape Institute Produces guidance documents, including a guide
for clients appointing a landscape professional -
www.landscapeinstitute.org/registeredpractices
Further reading and resources
Photo © Eden Project
It’s essential to get the right approvals and permission to develop
a site at the outset – and that includes your initial
investigations, otherwise you might be trespassing.
5. Get access and permission
Finding and getting access to land to use as a community green
space can be a challenge. Just because a piece of land is neglected
doesn’t mean there isn’t an owner.
This means that you will need to find out who the owner is and come
up with an acceptable proposition to ‘borrow’, rent or buy the
land. In most cases this entails entering into some kind legal
contract with the owner, whether it’s a private landowner (a person
or company) or a public landowner (such as the local council, a
health authority or Network Rail). If you enter into a legal
agreement you might want to form a community-based organisation
first, so that you aren’t personally liable. See the Eden Field
Guide to Community- owned Places and Spaces for more on this.
Some private landowners are willing to let people develop or
cultivate land that is out of use for nothing, on a temporary
basis, often called ‘Meanwhile use’. Others might be prepared to
lease the land, or you could try to buy it − if you can raise the
funds.
You can also acquire land using a community asset transfer. This is
a legal mechanism that allows you to acquire the ownership to a
piece of land (or a building) owned by the local authority or
public sector agency. You will need to set up a community-based
organisation, have some funding and have a clear plan for the
ongoing ownership of the land to be successful.
How to get access to land
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There is more advice on finding and acquiring land on the Community
Land Advisory Service (CLAS) website, by country, including details
of the legal requirements on their website.
Other types of permission Once you’ve got permission to use the
land there still might be other requirements to bear in mind. Below
are a couple of important ones to consider.
Trees Trees take a long time to grow and mature and are special
features in any community. Check with the local authority to see if
any of the trees are protected with Tree Preservation Orders (TPO).
If your chosen site is in a Conservation Area, any trees will be
automatically protected too.
Heritage Existing parks and gardens may be important pieces of
local heritage which can make it easier to get volunteers but can
also require permission to make changes. If it’s on Historic
England’s Register of Historic Parks and Gardens, it is afforded
protection and approval will be required to make changes.
Community Land Advisory Service (CLAS) -
www.communitylandadvice.org.uk
Historic England - www.historicengland.org.uk
Photo © Helene Rudlin
A lot of effort and thought can go into making a plan but the most
important thing is to make something happen.
Changing or creating green spaces doesn’t have to be expensive. The
creative process doesn’t stop with the plan, but one of the first
things you might have to do is clear the site. Don’t throw
everything in a skip – see what you can repurpose.
To start most projects, you will need:
Materials – plants, soil, stone, timber. See if materials can be
donated or repurpose waste.
Labour – people to do the work. Skilled, professional labour to
install any of the materials is usually two to three times the cost
of the materials.
Equipment – saves labour and time. But you will need to budget for
this - and you might need training.
Take a phased approach if it’s a big project, break it into
achievable chunks – clearing or establishing the site, planting
days, etc.
Be realistic about the amount of time you (and your team) have to
spare, and plan accordingly so you don’t run out of people or
momentum before the project is up and running. Everyone involved in
the project is likely to have existing commitments so try and
accommodate them.
6. Make something happen
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You don’t have to have money to make a project work, but it can
make a big difference. It’s not just a question of getting start-up
funds to establish a green space, there will be ongoing costs to
consider, so when you start planning, think about ways of
generating further income – not just further fundraising bids – to
make your project sustainable. Funders are likely to regard
projects with a long-term strategy more favourably.
7. Money
In-kind donations are a great way to get support for your project
without having to start a spreadsheet. Contact local businesses and
see if they can lend people or equipment, or provide in-kind
donations – a hardware store or garden centre might be willing to
let you have something for free if you give them a bit of a plug in
any publicity. Large businesses, including supermarkets, are
sometimes able to provide this kind of support. Remember to
acknowledge any gifts of time or equipment and invite your
benefactors to any celebrations you hold.
Many organisations offer grants to community groups for a wide
range of projects, for example the Big Lottery.
Funders are usually restricted in what they can fund – it’s
important that you take the time to find the right funders for your
project, and ensure it will meet their requirements as well as
yours.
It’s generally not a good idea to shape a project around a
particular funder’s requirements, though, if it means you have to
compromise what you really want to do. It’s a community project, so
should incorporate local people’s needs first and foremost, not the
funder’s – but sometimes a compromise is necessary. So be certain
you understand the requirements first.
Donations of material or time
Fundraising for big (capital) projects
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New developments have an obligation to contribute to the wider
infrastructure of the community, including schools and open spaces
– at present there are two different types of mechanism which work
in different ways so contact your council for more information.
It’s possible you can get funding via these.
Community shares are a way for an enterprise with a social purpose
to raise capital but they do not suit every organisation.
Section 106 Agreements and Community Infrastructure Levy
Community shares
Establish a good track record: once you have demonstrated to one
funder that you can be trusted to deliver, it can be easier to get
more money from them, or from another funder.
Funding paperwork can be time-consuming – and a bit dull. Treat it
as a learning opportunity: the more you do, the easier it becomes –
and don’t let it mount up.
Make personal contact with the funding organisation before filling
out a form – there are sometimes local representatives, or people
with connections who can help.
There are professionals who can help with complicated applications
for large sums of money. They will charge for this service and will
also rely on the information you give them about the project. There
may be requirements to report back on specific criteria.
EFG Community-owned Places and Spaces by Dave Chapman
Community Shares - www.communityshares.org.uk
The Big Lottey Fund - www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Further reading and resources
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It might seem obvious, but celebrating everyone’s achievements is
an essential part of any community project.
Celebrations can be big or small – a toast at the end of a day’s
work, or a party to mark the completion of a specific phase of the
project - it doesn’t matter. Celebrations create a sense of
fellowship and commitment, and can help to keep up momentum amongst
your volunteers (of which you are probably one).
Take loads of photos and put them up on social media for your
volunteers to see – photos might encourage more people to lend a
hand. Make sure you get their permission in writing before you post
images of them.
8. Celebrate your achievements
Organising a ‘big dig’ type activity can really rally the troops
and volunteers can get a huge sense of achievement from being
involved in making changes over a short period of time.
Things you can do:
Make a plastic bottle greenhouse.
Quick wins
Photo © Jane Knight
Abundance – Grow Sheffield
Abundance was established by Grow Sheffield with the idea of seeing
the city as a giant orchard. It is based on the simple but powerful
idea that people with fruit trees often have far more than they can
use – the project built a sharing network, which encouraged people
to go and help harvest and share the produce. Existing fruit trees
were complemented by new trees planted on roadsides and vacant
lots.
A team of fifty volunteers collect and harvest the fruit for
distribution either fresh or processed into juice. The tree owners
are given first pick and are saved the burden of harvest and the
sight of seeing the fruit rot away. Through the winter new trees
are planted and training given on tree pruning. The project has
grown into a movement inspiring people to reassess their existing
resources and think about what can be unlocked by sharing and
mutual support.
www.growsheffield.com
Photo © Grow Sheffield
All of this effort is for a purpose – if you’ve planned it properly
and everyone is still excited about it, then you won’t have any
trouble finding uses for your green space.
Community green spaces are the opposite of windblown recreation
grounds, they’re there to be used by the community. Although your
close-knit team are likely to be regular users, you may need to
give other people an excuse to join in. Plan activities and events,
and experiment with new uses for the space that encourage different
groups to come and use it - it could be a coffee morning for older
people, a making session for families, or a barbecue for young
people.
Whatever you do don’t let it stagnate – keep planning, keep
improving it; your community green space should evolve and change
like the community around it. See the next sections for more
ideas.
9. Use it
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Community green space projects are about the long haul if they’re
to make a real difference. A pop-up can invigorate a community, but
a permanent green space should be resource for everyone and that
means maintaining it.
Maintenance should be at the back of your mind throughout the
planning process so you don’t make back-breaking work for
yourselves (or financial headaches for that matter).
Things to bear in mind:
Trees will take a while to establish themselves.
Plants will generally need more attention in the early stages as
they establish themselves.
Built things usually look their best when they’re just finished,
they will need maintenance and maybe replacement longer term.
Paths – they should be durable but they will need to be
clear.
Who’s going to look after it all? It could be you, but it shouldn’t
be just you.
Watering – the most basic maintenance, you can’t rely on the rain
to do this for you, so consider a rota for such regular
tasks.
Some maintenance can be done in big chunks, so consider organising
days for seasonal clean-up, litter picking and mending. Make them
fun and people will be more likely to come along and lend a
hand.
10. Maintain it
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grub
games
chairs
loos
fire
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Great green space features Community green spaces are as much about
people as plants or wildlife, so it’s important to plan them with
people in mind. In this section you’ll find a range of features
that you could include to encourage people to linger, as well as
some essentials to make them easy to use.
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Not all of these features will be appropriate for your community
green space, and you should do some further research before you
commit to including any of them. If you’re uncertain what to
include, or you have something ambitious in mind, you could talk to
a professional landscape architect or designer. Some professionals
will do work on a pro bono basis – in other words, for free – but
in most cases you will have to pay for them. The more ambitious the
ideas the more likely you are to need a plan. A good professional
master plan or design could help you get the landowner’s approval,
planning permission and funding, as well as helping with any legal
contracts, so it could be money well spent.
Picking and choosing key features
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The more accessible your green space is, the wider its appeal. More
people will use it if you take account of their diverse needs and
make it easy to get around.
Making it accessible
Some people will need paths in order to make use of a community
green space – most people will if the weather is bad. Paths will be
used for walkers, dogs, joggers, bikes, buggies and mobility
scooters so make sure they’re wide enough to accommodate them or
that there are passing places if not.
Paths
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Sharing information is a chance to uplift, intrigue and inspire.
Every garden needs some written information but people often go
into dull ‘sign speak’ when preparing these. This is often combined
with telling people what you think they ‘must know’ rather than
what they might find interesting and engaging.
The best option is to write the signs as if you were showing round
an old friend and say what you would say to them – in plain
English. Imagine it as a conversation between you and the visitor
when you aren’t there.
Include poetry and jokes, not just factual information. Have some
temporary and flexible places for current news – blackboard paint
is a wonderful thing!
Plant labels can be tricky – people like to know what different
plants are, but just putting the Latin names excludes
non-gardeners. At the Eden Project we have tried to tell a small
story about every important plant, why we have it and what it is
used for – even the most every- day plants have a story to
tell.
Signs and labels
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Seating is one of the most important and most overlooked features
in landscape design. Seats make a space comfortable for everyone
and are crucial for anyone with limited stamina – older people and
people with a debilitating illness, for example. It is easy to
treat seating as something that can be sorted later, but this often
ends up with it being forgotten, or put somewhere inappropriate
because there isn’t space.
Think about what are the seats are for – who wants to sit in a row
on a bench staring at a random view, for example? Why not provide
portable seating so people can group where and with whom they want?
Choose seats that are robust, comfortable for different shapes and
sizes, and in good locations.
Shelter is an important consideration – being able to shelter from
the elements will make events more viable and extend the length of
time people can use the garden. Shelter from rain and wind is
important, but so is being able to shelter from the sun – this is
crucial for anyone taking medication which makes them sensitive to
sunlight, older people, and young children. Most people will
welcome a bit of shade. Temporary shelter can be effective, for
example pergolas, umbrellas and fold-out canopies etc., or consider
something more permanent such as summer houses and huts.
Seats
Shelter
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Access to toilets and changing facilities is crucial. If you don’t
have scope to include toilets as part of your plans it is important
to find out where the nearest available facilities are. Include
information about Changing Places toilets. These are designed for
people with profound and multiple disabilities; there is a
searchable map on their website. If you are running an event,
consider hiring one of their mobile toilets to maximise
participation.
Toilets
Changing Places - www.changing-places.org
Widgit (accessible signage) - www.widgit.com
Eden Field Guide to Inclusive Communities by Stuart Spurring and
Jane Stoneham
Further reading and resources
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Your green spaces could include sports pitches, tennis courts,
bowling greens, basketball courts, ping-pong tables or a sandy spot
to play boules. Think about changing facilities, and lighting if
people want to play after dark – and insurance.
Making it fun
Games and play are a great way to encourage children (and adults)
to be playful, inquisitive and adventurous by making use of what
you have to hand. Games can be very simple. For example, Gofindit
is a game developed by the Sensory Trust to encourage children to
explore gardens and other safe spaces. Treasure hunts are popular
with all ages - try a nature-themed mini-beast hunt, or make a
miniature garden or a piece of art out of natural materials.
You don’t need a lot of expensive equipment. Kids are generally
happy with a place where they have permission to snap off twigs,
get muddy, play in the long grass, make noise and build dens.
Permission is the key thing, imagination and energy will do the
rest. Remember to provide for different types of play to suit
different children – adventurous, active, creative or
inquisitive.
What do they need? Dense shrubby areas like willow are perfect,
also ideally some mounds to run around and play ‘King of the
Castle’ on (remember to include slopes for wheelchair users to join
in too). Water is great for play too and doesn’t need to be complex
– just a hosepipe or sprinkler, wellies and waterproofs and
permission to make mud is all that you need.
Play
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Create simple water play with guttering and hosepipe.
Make waterslides with a hosepipe, a slope and a long sheet of
plastic.
Mark out hopscotch and other pavement games using a box of
chalk.
Make petal leaf pictures.
Treasure trails, sensory trails, adventure trails, fitness trails…
they all offer ways of creating journeys through your site that
engage people in different ways. You’ll need to make some signs or
include some features to make it easy to navigate and
explore.
Simple play ideas:
Making it sociable
Cooking and eating together are essential elements of community-
building. This could mean including options for cooking outdoors –
building a clay oven for example, or a barbecue – or at its
simplest, providing the opportunity to eat together. Tables are a
crucial part of the mix. Ideally opt for portable rather than fixed
tables and benches as the latter are hard for many people to use
and discourage flexible group gatherings.
Very few gardens or green spaces make provision for fire – perhaps
there is a perception that it is an unnecessary risk – but a fire
can provide a focal point and the opportunity for people to gather
round and strike up conversations. A simple fire pit for logs or a
brazier can create an easy-to-manage fire for people to gather
around – but avoid smoky bonfires unless it’s 5th November.
Fires aren’t without risk so you should contact the landowner for
permission and the local council and/or fire station for advice
before you start anything; there are requirements you will need to
meet and you will probably need insurance.
Having a space where people can gather in reasonable numbers is
really good idea. If you have room you could create a simple hard-
surfaced area with some basic drainage so it doesn’t pool. If you
have the money then an open-sided shed or summer house is also a
great asset.
Eating and cooking together
Gathering space
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Sometimes people just want to be alone or socialise in small
groups. Providing quiet spots to relax, chat, sunbathe or picnic
will encourage more people to use the space. If you’ve got offices
nearby then you may find people anxious to escape their
desks.
Key features you could include:
Lawns
Remember to include seating, tables and bins nearby.
Quiet spaces and picnic spots
This is important for everyone but especially teenagers who have
nowhere to go and just be themselves in most communities. The
answer doesn’t have to be something formalised like a youth club –
for example a small hut they can make their own is simple and
effective. Find out the kind of places they like to hang out and
get them to help design and build it.
Make sure everyone knows the ground rules (e.g. no fires without
permission, no smoking), and ensure that that there is appropriate
insurance.
Hang out space
Making it grow
Growing food can be a really rewarding way to use a community green
space. It offers a reason for people to visit the garden regularly
to care for the crops and an opportunity to celebrate the harvest –
a pumpkin patch could lend itself to a soup or pumpkin pie night as
well as provide the raw material for Jack-o’-lanterns at
Hallowe’en. If you are setting up an orchard you’ll have the excuse
to wassail and hold apple days. Rather than treat it like an
allotment and try to grow a significant quantity of food crops, you
could just pick and choose a few interesting or unusual crops – or
use the space to grow things that are otherwise expensive to buy,
like herbs.
Food growing
Make space for a cutting garden in which flowers and foliage are
grown for cutting and crafts, including drying flowers. Hanging
flowers up to dry from the roof of a shed looks fabulous – they can
even be sold or donated to members of the community or nearby
healthcare facilities. It’s not just a spring or summer trade –
people often want holly or wreaths at Christmas.
Cutting gardens
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A forest garden is a method of producing food that is also
beneficial to wildlife, through the planting of fruit- and/or
nut-bearing trees. The concept of growing a wide variety of
predominantly perennial crops in both the horizontal and vertical
space was introduced into the UK in the 1980s by Robert Hart, who
was inspired by tropical home gardens. Typically, there are up to
seven layers in a forest garden depending on its size (see figure
below) which include:
1. Tree canopy e.g. for timber.
2. Fruit/nut trees on dwarf root stock.
3. Shrubs, e.g. fruit bushes.
4. Perennial plants and herbs such as New Zealand flax for fibre
and mint for tea.
5. Tubers, e.g. Jerusalem artichoke.
6. Ground cover such as wild strawberries.
7. Climbers such as hops, grapes or kiwi.
Forest gardens
3
2
1
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Forest gardens are intended to be self-supporting systems, with the
plants themselves providing the nutrients for plant growth. For
example, nitrogen is provided by cutting and mulching nitrogen-
rich plants such as nettles or planting nitrogen-fixing species
such as peas and beans. Comfrey is often planted around fruit trees
as its deep roots can tap potassium from the soil, a nutrient which
encourages flowering and subsequently fruit development.
Forest gardens can also contain edible plants, commonly found in
our gardens and local parks, that we in the UK have not previously
considered food – such as day lilies, berberis, fuchsia and Oregon
grape. Forest gardeners look at plants in a completely different
way, tucking into what others would normally consider weeds, such
as three-cornered leek, a useful garlic substitute, or ground
elder, introduced by the Romans, who considered this plant a
delicacy.
You’ll need around an acre for a forest garden, though smaller ones
exist. Get ideas on how to create your forest garden by visiting
others (see the agroforestry and forest garden network list).
Your Forest Garden requires careful planning of the different
layers. Start by establishing your tree layer first. Trees are best
planted from October through to April.
Apples, pears, nuts, and kiwis (at least in Cornwall).
Raspberries, red currents, black currents, goji berries.
Three-cornered leeks.
Nettles.
Best started in the autumn; establishing a forest garden can take a
lot of work and careful planning, so take your time.
Things you could grow in a forest garden:
Agroforestry Research Trust: www.agroforestry.co.uk
Further reading and resources
89
Community gardens can offer great habitats for wildlife, especially
insects and birds. The key elements are rich layers of trees,
shrubs and bushes. A common misconception is that you have to
create the entire habitat – e.g. planting nettles for caterpillars
– but in reality your site already sits within a network of green
spaces and typically there will be plenty of nettles in range of
any garden.
The important thing is to complement natural features and provide
viewing opportunities for people – feeding stations for birds and
maybe even butterflies and include plants and trees which produce
fruit and nectar.
Ways of encouraging wildlife:
Extend the flowering season by planting for a succession of flowers
through the whole year.
Include special plants such as butterfly bush (Buddleia) and ice
plant (Sedum spectabile) that are particularly popular with
butterflies.
Flowers between March-September to feed bees (single flowers are
best, double flowers can make it hard for bees to reach the
pollen). In southern England some bees will feed in February so
include some flowers then too.
Evergreens for winter shelter for birds.
Berries and fruits and flower buds for bullfinches and other
birds.
Areas of long grass for insects and small mammals.
Walls for masonry bees.
Wildlife areas
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Keeping any form of livestock is a major commitment and shouldn’t
be taken lightly. The welfare of the animals has to take top
priority and vet bills can be very high.
Small-scale ventures, e.g. bees, chickens, rabbits etc., are best
suited to small projects but even these will bring
responsibilities. Try and find someone locally with the relevant
expertise to help, e.g. a local beekeeper, farmer or city
farm.
Enclosures must be very effective to make sure there is no chance
of animals escaping. There is also a growing concern about the
transmission of diseases such as E. coli from animals to children
so strict risk assessment and hygiene will be necessary. There may
be local by-laws that prohibit the keeping of animals on your site
so make sure you check these first. Try your local authority
website first.
Beehives and other livestock
Camley Street Natural Park, Kings Cross, London
One of the best-known examples of derelict land transformed into a
green oasis, Camley Street Natural Park was built on an old
coalyard in 1984. Run by the charity Wild London, the park is a
green oasis for local people in the heart of the city. It’s now
completely surrounded by urban developments, making the nature
reserve an even more important place for respite from the city. It
also provides learning opportunities for local people.
www.wildlondon.org.uk/reserves/camley- street-natural-park
Photo © Kate Symonds
Making it sustainable
Bike racks, or at least something you can securely lock a bike to,
are an easy way to encourage people to travel sustainably to and
from a community green space.
Composting is a good way of turning your waste material into
something useful and saves you from having to take lots of garden
waste off-site. But it has to be done properly for this to work
well.
Composting needs bacteria, and they need water and air and
sometimes added nutrients as a kick-starter. There are plenty of
guides online, and for small-scale composting you can get purpose-
designed containers. They’re sometimes free or significantly
cheaper from your local authority.
In small gardens composting is usually inefficient, airless and
stagnant, usually because people try to do it in too small a
space.
For larger-scale composting, you will need to dedicate a large area
and ideally include a hard surface so you can get access by a
machine (e.g. small digger) to turn over the compost so it’s got an
adequate supply of air.
You could encourage people to bring their own garden waste and in
return they can take home the composted material to use in their
own garden.
Adding lights to a community space is a good way of extending use
into the evenings and darker times of year. It will also help make
the space feel safer. You will have more choice if you have a mains
power supply, but even if you don’t, you could use a small
generator, battery-powered lights, or try solar-powered
lights.
Bike racks
Community composting
Lighting
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Having secure storage facilities for equipment is essential –
portable seating, shade, and things you need for events will need
to be kept somewhere safe and dry behind locked doors if they’re to
last.
Having free Wi-Fi in your green space can encourage more people to
use the space to check email, social media or even work. Even if
you’re in an area with good 3G or 4G coverage, free Wi-Fi can be a
draw, as most phone contracts have a download limit.
Installing a Wi-Fi hub is easier if you have a building nearby and
obviously it relies on internet access and mains electricity, so
will come at a cost.
Some community green spaces have grown into successful charities
and social enterprises offering a range of facilities and
opportunities for local people. A large enough site – or the
opportunity to expand – can provide space for a community centre, a
garden centre, café, community kitchen or even a doctor’s surgery.
These sorts of things will require further planning and permissions
but can make a real difference to an already successful green space
project. They can also provide a regular income for the green
space, and allow you to employ people. If you already have space
you could consider pop-up versions first to see if there’s interest
in additional facilities.
Storage
Wi-Fi
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Creative ideas to bring your green space to life A programme of
events and activities will encourage people to use the space and
help make it into a vital community resource. In this section are a
few ideas to get you started.
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Tie ribbons and pom-poms to a tree for no reason other than to make
people smile. Make the tree dressing an event – get everyone in the
community to add something and maybe make a wish. It’s a great way
of welcoming new visitors to your project, and an ideal focus for
festivals.
It doesn’t matter how big your site is, a map can really help
people appreciate a green space. As well as key features, maps can
also show the reasons why different parts of the green space are
important, what happens there, why it is valued. The community can
get together to tell their stories of different places, and perhaps
work with a local artist to illustrate them.
This tree is popular with robins – look out for them.
This is where we like to play hide and seek.
This apple tree was planted by Doug to celebrate his
birthday.
This bush is too young to have much fruit yet, please be gentle
with it – but do eat what you find – it is not sprayed.
This bench was painted by…
Make a wish tree
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Film nights are very easy to organise these days with relatively
affordable projectors that can run from a laptop or smartphone and
a portable sound system. Screening it outside can add another
dimension to the evening. You can project on to a screen or a
whitewashed wall. Check what time it gets dark, provide comfortable
seats (or cushions) and remind people to wrap up warm – even a
summer evening can get chilly.
You will need a licence to show films unless you made it yourself –
even if you’re screening it for free.
See the Cinema for All website for a clear and easy guide to
running a community cinema night:
www.cinemaforall.org.uk
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You can plant a permanent tree or install a stand for cut trees,
either way it provides the opportunity for people to decorate. Many
modern plastic decorations can easily stand outside through the
winter – as can solar-powered fairy lights.
Telling stories is an ancient art, but one that’s as relevant today
as it was in the past. It’s quite a skill but anyone can have a go
– the story doesn’t have to be original, in fact it’s probably best
to start with something classic, like a fairy tale. A bit of set
dressing is always a good idea, and a special storytelling chair
will help with the atmosphere – it doesn’t have to be grand.
A green space can be used to acknowledge special days associated
with different cultures and people’s birthdays, weddings and
meaningful dates – you can find a celebration for just about every
day of the year from a search on the internet, or find out from the
people involved in your project.
Plant a Christmas tree
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Music is rarely found in green spaces but there is no reason why it
shouldn’t be – you can create a makeshift bandstand from pallets
and flags and if power can be connected it will be a perfect spot
for events such as fêtes or something for local young people to
use.
These have become popular and there’s a reasonable chance of
finding one in your local area. They have the added advantage of
attracting friends and family along as a ready-made audience. How
about inviting them to help create small-scale music events? These
can be combined with the sale of food, craft and produce (see the
Eden Field Guide to Community Food Projects for information about
selling food and produce to the public).
Make music
Further reading and resources
Scarecrow competitions
Some areas already have a tradition of making scarecrows, but you
could take it up a level by inviting local people to take part in a
competition to create a trail of scarecrows to follow. Scarecrows
come in all shapes and sizes so let your imagination go wild.
An easy and fun way of attracting families, a treasure hunt will
encourage them to explore and make use of more of the green space.
Provide refreshments and you’ve got a great way to raise money for
your project.
Gardens are sometimes designed specifically for therapeutic
reasons, for example a restorative space to benefit people with
mental health issues, or a therapy garden used as part of a
physiotherapy programme. Accessibility is crucial to any community
garden and is especially important in a therapeutic garden, so
ensure there are gardening opportunities at different levels – e.g.
ground level, raised beds and containers - and train fruit along
wires to keep the harvest within easy reach.
Treasure hunts
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Conclusion Green spaces are vital to the health and wellbeing of
our communities, so you can be sure that if you decided to get
involved with a green space project or start your own, you will be
making a positive contribution to your neighbourhood.
Running a green space project however small is a commitment so pace
yourself and make sure you have plenty of support and plan ahead
even if you’re just planning a brief pop-up garden — once a green
space projects appears, all sorts of possibilities can arise.
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Dave Chapman
Bran Howell
Wendy Brewin
Eden Field Guide to Inclusive Communities
Eden Field Guide to Community- owned Places and Spaces
Eden Field Guide to Working with Young People
Eden Field Guide to Working with Older People
We have created a series of Field Guides to help you plan and
create your projects and make the most of the potential in your
community. They are free to participants on our community projects
and available to download. To find out more please email
[email protected]
Community Food Projects
Inclusive Communities
Inclusive communities are better communities. An inclusive
community which welcomes diversity and encourages and enables
participation is better placed to withstand the challenges of the
future.
This book explains what it means to be inclusive and the methods we
can use to make sure everyone gets a chance to join in.
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An Eden Project Field Guide to
How do ordinary people get access to land or buildings to run
businesses, offer services, generate energy or build houses?
Community-owned assets can help make a community socially,
environmentally and above all, economically viable. This guide
offers an introduction to acquiring a community asset – a building
or a piece of land – as the first major step towards creating the
community you want to live in.
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