A fresh initiative is enabling local people to establish community growing areas on previously unused council-owned land in Hackney.
The local authority’s Right to Grow programme offers collectives comprising five or more residents the opportunity to cultivate council property for producing fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers.
Spaces that qualify encompass disused plots adjacent to municipal buildings, roadside verges and empty green areas.
Designated parks do not form part of the initiative.
Councillor Jacob Cable, portfolio holder responsible for climate, clean air, energy and transport, stated that the scheme represented significant progress in expanding land availability for community purposes.
Local collectives were being empowered to repurpose underused areas, enabling residents to grow produce, build neighbourly connections and develop greater investment in their local environment.
Numerous successful cultivation projects already existed on council housing developments, and this programme would extend those opportunities to additional communities seeking to convert neglected patches into shared recreational growing spaces.
The initiative forms a component of the Mayor’s Who Owns Hackney campaign, which examines land utilisation and ownership patterns while working to designate additional space for community benefit.
The programme also aligns with the council’s objective of establishing a more sustainable food network with reduced carbon output by promoting local food production and improving access to fresh, nutritious ingredients.
The scheme corresponds with an expanding Right to Grow sector backed by groups including Hackney Right to Grow and Incredible Edable, organisations that champion increased community access to land for cultivation purposes.
Hackney Council currently provides assistance to more than fifty community gardening and food production collectives operating on its residential estates.
Participation involves no application fee, though accepted groups assume financial responsibility for establishing and upkeeping their gardens.
Support organisations such as Hackney Right to Grow and Capital Growth can assist with identifying appropriate plots, acquiring equipment, arranging training and providing guidance.
During the initial pilot stage, a maximum of ten submissions will receive approval, with additional phases scheduled for subsequent periods.