Disused Coventry council land could become green spaces
The scheme, due to be considered by cabinet this week, aims to tackle inequalities in access to green space and boost biodiversity
Councillors have backed plans to turn disused council land in Coventry into community growing spaces, with wildflowers, food crops and trees planted to boost biodiversity.
Rhian Palmer, the council’s green futures strategic lead, explained that the community growing sites scheme aimed to support residents and community groups to take ownership of their local environment through maintaining and improving disused or underutilised areas for the benefit of the local community.
In her report that will be considered by this week’s cabinet meeting, she added: “This is a brilliant opportunity to help tackle inequalities in access to green space across the city and provides a new opportunity to bring people and communities together. Proposed planting could be wildflowers, native plants or fruit trees.
“This could include planting areas of mown grass on streets, taking on plots of land for food growing and nature gardens, using council-owned planters, as well as potentially planting orchards and hedgerows in some of our parks and open spaces, subject to restrictions and covenants.
“A policy and process will be in place to provide guidance and to support communities to ensure what is planted is appropriate for the location, which will include consultation with nearby residents.”
Speaking to councillors at a recent scrutiny co-ordination committee, she added: “This is a new policy. There are not many places across England that do this. Hull set up the first a few years ago and we are learning from what they have done as we want to ensure this is managed in the right way.
“We are also keen to use non-council land so Citizen and I know the Canal and River Trust are also interested so we are keen to reach out to other land owners who have bits of land not doing anything. There are a huge number of services involved including property, legal and highways, so we are looking to create a new post with someone who can coordinate those things and going out to sites to make sure people are doing what they ought to be doing.”
Cllr Rupinder Singh raised a concern about ensuring leases were only handed to legitimate people. He said: “We need to be watertight and explain that this land is for growing and for Coventry residents only. We need to be clear that it is to increase the biodiversity, no other purpose. I need those assurances.”
Ms Palmer said: “The lease template that has been drafted is very clear and the sites will be inspected to make sure they are being used as agreed. If not then the lease will be terminated early. We have that control. It will be managed really robustly.”