Community cultivation is set to be encouraged on neglected council land across Hull. The ‘right to grow’ initiative is believed to be the first of its kind in the UK to be attempted on a citywide scale and is aimed at making it easier for people to take over plots of public land to grow their own fruit and vegetables.
It will extend the traditional concept of allotments to areas of open public space, inner-city pocket parks and even grass verges to provide affordable healthy food during the cost-of-living crisis. Planters in council car parks will also be encouraged.
Right to grow receives all-party support
Under the scheme, suitable land is expected to be made available for community use under a simple licensing system and at no cost.
Public insurance cover will also be extended by the council to cover food growing projects to avoid residents and community groups incurring extra expense.
The first steps in what is being billed as a ‘right to grow’ have been agreed by councillors after a motion outlining the idea recently received all-party support at a full council meeting.
Councillor Gill Kennett, who moved the motion, said even land set aside for development could be used before building work actually starts.
“We are all aware that several years can pass before the actual foundations are laid on some sites. By then, a few seasons of vegetables could have been grown on many pieces of land.
“We need to be supporting communities to grow their own food by providing practical help with actual items such as water butts or working with those in the city who are already more than keen to pass on their knowledge and skills to new gardeners.”
Promoting sustainability and boosting mental health
Councillor Mark Ieronimo said the initiative could also provide a positive boost to people’s mental health and tackle the issue of food air miles.
“It is about giving a value to locally-grown quality food which should be affordable. Quality should not be exclusive to those who can pay the expensive prices in supermarkets.
“Instead of bringing food from the other side of the world we can get people to value what is on the table and reduce food waste.”
The idea has been promoted by the Hull Food Partnership, a collaboration between residents, businesses, charities and the council which launched in 2016 to initially campaign on food inequality issues.
A year later Hull was declared a sustainable city and a food charter for the city was launched in 2018 setting out a range of aspirations to encourage better access to fresh and healthy produce, improve knowledge and skills around food issues and support more sustainable local food production.
As part of the new ‘right to grow’ project, stronger enforcement is also planned on council allotments with plots being taken off tenants if they have not been cultivated for 12 months.
