Finding more land for growing

We want to ensure more empty land is used for food growing. The first ‘meanwhile’ or temporary lease was recently agreed by the Council’s Housing Department to lend land to a group of estate residents in Henfield Close, Whitehawk. Other council housing tenants are being encouraged to come forward if they'd like to see food grown on their estate too.

Other landowners are getting involved as well - Southern Railway has given permission for a group of local residents to grow edible and ornamental plants at London Road station, and we've been in touch with various housing associations that are interested in helping their residents setup growing projects.

If you know a group of potential growers looking for land for a community project, we can try to help. Or if there's a patch of land near you that you'd like to see used to grow food, please get in touch! If you're looking for inspiration, read about the many groups already working on food growing projects on different patches of land around the city.

Harvest is also running a demonstration vegetable garden in Preston Park (which has also inspired a similar garden in Wish Park, Hove). Meanwhile, the Grow Your Neighbour’s Own scheme is matching up would-be growers with their neighbours’ unused gardens and helping them share the results.

Harvest is also working with the council to open up new allotment plots around the city with 80 new plots created on Whitehawk Hill in December 2009, plus another 50 voided plots brought back into use at various sites. Plot sizes have now been halved to increase the number of available plots and some sites are also creating smaller plots for first-time allotment holders. In August 2010, the first 'organic only' allotments were opened at Foredown Tower - the aim is that organic practices will protect nearby wildlife while still allowing the land to be used for food growing.