Annual Food Growing Report April 2020 – March 2021

1. Formal food growing provision In 2020/21 provided the following food growing sites:

Location Developed Approx size No Plotholders @ 31/3/2021 Allers Allotments, East Kilbride Pre 1996 17,500m2 105 Richmond Allotments, Pre 1996 4,060m2 19 Fernbrae Meadows, Rutherglen 2019 6,660m2 69 Murray Recreation Raised bed site, 2019 2000m2 62 East Kilbride TOTAL 30,220m2 255

Additionally, a further site at Lammermoor in East Kilbride is currently under construction and will deliver food growing space for around 60 people. Planning applications have also been submitted for small sites in Burnhill and Strathaven to be delivered in 2021/22 subject to consent and these will collectively add space for a further 60 people.

2. Alternative/community food growing provision To supplement formal allotment and raised bed provision, the Council are also committed to working in partnership where possible to provide land for alternative food growing such as community orchards, community gardens, community raised bed areas, fruit, vegetable and herb beds.

There are a number of designated community food growing areas on Council land that are managed by community groups who have secured a lease arranged and monitored by Housing & Technical Resources property team:

Group/Location Approx Avg Lease Duration Rent (PA) Size Users Grow 73 Community 5000m2 New 15 year lease until £1 Growing site 10/01/2036 Overton Park, Rutherglen Larkhall Community 2522m2 29 12/5/2011 till £1 Growers, Wilkie Crescent, 11/05/2026 Larkhall Bothwell Community 7588m2 250 19/2/2010 till 03/10/24 £1 Growers, Bothwell Road, Blantyre Forth Growers, Hailstone 2085m2 100 02/09/2013 till £1 Green Recreation Area, 01/09/2033 Forth Group/Location Approx Avg Lease Duration Rent (PA) Size Users East Kilbride Development 2910m2 80 Annual £1 Trust, Calderglen Country Park, East Kilbride Castlebank Horticultural 2435m2 320 01/10/2013 till £1 Centre, Castlebank Park, 01/10/2033 Lanark TACT Community Hall, 625m2 TBC 16/09/2010 till £12 Hillview Drive, Blantyre 28/05/2020 (renewal under review)

To supplement formal provision managed by the Council or community groups, there are also a range of informal activities including:

Group/Location Approx Avg Users Size Hunthill orchard and community raised beds, Hunthill Road, 565m2 500 Blantyre Friends of Cadzow Glen Orchard and community growing, 400m2 14 Cadzow Glen Cadzow Community Corps, Chatelherault Country Park 500m2 15 Treetops Nursery planters, Crofthead Park, 20m2 69 Friends of Strathaven Park, community raised beds 50m2 18 Whitehill Veterans community growing 640m2 TBC

The total number of people currently involved in alternative food growing initiatives on Council land is reported to be around 1400 albeit lockdown restrictions may have impacted on numbers. Detailed information on all food growing activities is available on the Council’s food growing storyboard - https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=c066b38901f8490e811045418 c1ff24f

3. Community Benefits As part of our commitment to partnership working, South Lanarkshire Council created a food growing group to allow food growing participants to share information and services with internal and external partners as well as create opportunities for learning and development. In 20/21, we have individually or in partnership:

• Planted a small orchard (18 trees) at Lanark Loch for use by the local community • Provided 5 apple trees and 15 plum trees for green spaces in Lanark • Incorporated raised beds into the redevelopment of Springhall Cage for the community to plant fruit and vegetables • Installed 6 raised beds in Strathaven Park for use by the community in conjunction with Friends of Strathaven Park and other community groups • Worked with Friends of Fernbrae Meadows to provide a community growing space • Provided 4 planters in Crofthead Park in Uddingston for use by 69 staff and children at Treetops nursery to grow fruit, vegetables and herbs • Facilitated the provision of two large beds in Millheugh Brae Park for the use of the Millheugh growing group • Referred 193 waiting list applicants to the Healthy n Happy Get Growing Network • Passed information to 19 community groups and allotments regarding training sessions on bee keeping and pollination networks • Referred 111 South Lanarkshire Schools to funding opportunities for fruit bushes and orchards through the Tree Council and the Branching Out Fund • Referred 37 members of the Council’s Food Growing Group to the National Lottery Food for Life Get Together sessions, to pass on to their wider user groups • Referred 13 Clydesdale residents on the allotment waiting list to Clydesdale Community Initiative’s Gardener’s Den education resource • Referred 37 members of the Council’s Food Growing Group to CCI’s online training resource through Gardener’s Den to pass on to their wider user base. Created a framework for future referrals from the Council to Clydesdale Community Initiative • Distributed 247 information sheets to allotment plotholders on growing indoors and recycling seeds • Issued biodiversity and sustainability factsheets to all plotholders at South Lanarkshire Council allotments • Referred 151 people waiting for a plot or raised bed in Rutherglen or to Healthy n Happy/ Grow 73’s Let’s Talk About Growing sessions • Liaised with all schools in South Lanarkshire regarding the Royal Horticultural Society’s Campaign for School Gardening and provided details on how to get involved • Distributed wildflower seeds to Council allotment sites to increase insect habitation • Worked with Allers allotments to aid them in creating a communal waste processing and composting area within the site.

Bonnie Blantyre/Friends of the Calder has: • Issued 500 packs of seeds to their local community to grow during lockdown. As a result, 11 pumpkins were entered into a carving competition • 500 other seed packs were issued containing 4 different types of seeds • Planted 8 fruit trees in Hunthill orchard • Redistributed most of the produce • Initiated discussions with the local Miner’s Welfare and Community Council to create a community garden

Grow 73/Healthy n Happy has: • Issued 250 mini allotment packs during the first lockdown to enable people to grow beans at home. • Distributing growing kits including potatoes and pollinating flowers • Launched a Let’s Talk About Growing online forum.

East Kilbride Development Trust issued 200 seed packs of five different seed varieties to groups/schools/nurseries within South Lanarkshire area (50 of which were in East Kilbride)

Castlebank Horticultural Centre/Lanark Development Trust planted 45 fruit trees in schools around Lanark at Lanark Primary, Robert Owen Primary, Kirkfieldbank Primary, St Mary’s Primary, Carstairs Junction Primary and Underbank Primary. Clydesdale Community Initiative (CCI) has been working with hospitals and care homes in Clydesdale to present growing opportunities to patients and clients in South Lanarkshire. The Council has also been liaising with NHS Lanarkshire and although numbers involved in growing have reduced due to restrictions (formerly 72 people involved), activities include: • Kirklands inpatient group supported remotely to enable them to continue with their green activities. Project staff still working on site but not at the same time as inpatients • The Clelland group resumed in partnership with ward staff and inpatients. Many inpatients who were unable to participate in activities maintained some contact with the group in a socially distanced way • Ladyholme external volunteers managed raised beds with occasional support from CCI • Beckford Lodge outpatients attend morning sessions and hospital in-patients attend afternoon sessions

Care Homes Lockdown restrictions have prevented further opportunities within care homes however Social Work Resources are committed to continue to develop food growing opportunities when it is safe to do so.

Schools It has been very challenging for schools to continue food growing throughout long periods of closure however, the following schools who reported activity in 2020/21 include:

Canberra Primary Parkview Primary Coulter Primary Southpark Primary Craigbank Primary St Anthony’s Primary Dalserf Primary St John’s Primary Glassford Primary St Leonard’s Primary High Blantyre Primary Tinto Primary Hunter Primary Calderside Secondary Kirkfieldbank Primary Duncanrig High Kirktonholme Primary Rutherglen High Lamington Primary Trinity High Milton Primary Uddingston High

Feedback from Education Resources has been collated and over 1300 pupils were directly involved in food growing activities and examples include the provision of raised beds, creation of herb gardens, composting, soup making with the produce, potato crops distributed amongst children, fruit tree and wildflower planting, garden mentoring programmes.

4. Charges A charging framework for new sites was introduced in January 2019 and is based on a m2 rate plus what services are provided such as mains water and these are based on whether sites are unserviced, part serviced or serviced. These charges are set to contribute to site running costs as well as routine repairs and maintenance.

As part of a charging policy review, it was agreed by Committee on 22 January 2019 that charges at sites set up prior to the new legislation would be rationalised and brought into line with the new charging framework. The Council planned to introduce this last year however this was delayed due to the pandemic and will be applied in 2022/23. All current plotholders affected by the change have been advised in writing. For more information on all food growing charges, please use the link to view current charges: https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200166/getting_outdoors/68/allotments

5. Waiting List Following the implementation of the Council’s Food Growing Strategy and to comply with Scottish Government legislation, the Council has been working towards reducing waiting times to 5 years and to have less than 50% of people waiting compared to the overall number of plots available. As at 31st March 2021, 556 applicants are on the waiting list and of that, 62 have been waiting for over 5 years. Of those remaining on the waiting list, 102 applicants have been offered a plot but have chosen to wait for a specific or new site. Those who have yet to be offered a plot have been on the waiting list for up to 3 years.

The breakdown of waiting times is as follows:

Waiting time No Applicants Over 5 years 62 4 years + 7 3 years + 25 2 years + 49 1 year + 136 Under 12 months 277 Total 556

Final guidance on food growing provision was issued to Councils in June 2019 and the Council has continued to work towards compliance since the introduction of the draft Food Growing Strategy in April 2020. However, with limited resources available and the time taken to identify funding, secure planning consent as well as lockdown restrictions, it has not been possible to meet historic demand quickly.

Despite 63 applicants being offered a plot from March 2020 to April 2021, there was a surge in applications during lockdown and a further 277 have been added to the waiting list in a 12 month period. It is however, anticipated that with the development of the site at Lammermoor, many of those who have been on the waiting list for over 5 years will be accommodated unless they choose to wait on a vacancy at a specific site.

6. Steps Taken The Council has: • Developed a further site at Lammermoor due for completion Spring 2021 • Instigated plans to develop a small site in Strathaven which is due for completion in 2021/22 subject to planning consent being granted • Instigated plans to redevelop a derelict site in Burnhill which is planned for 2021/22 subject to planning consent being granted • Other vacant and derelict land sites are being investigated including a potential site at • A capital funding bid was submitted and £80k allocated which will go towards the development of a new site in Hamilton • Worked with individuals and groups to meet local community needs including the successful delivery of a leased site by Grow73 within Overton Park, Rutherglen • Developed a referral system for applicants to increase food growing skills and experience at local community run sites until a plot is offered and accepted. • Secured £300,000 from April 2021 to promote food growing in various forms

7. Accessibility It is difficult to quantify the number of plots that are accessible to those with additional support needs as individual requirements can vary quite significantly. All new sites created are DDA compliant and the Council has also created a dedicated 70 raised bed site to cater for those who may have physical limitations and find a raised bed easier to manage than a traditional allotment.

During 2020/21, two requests have been submitted asking for assistance, one from a user with mobility difficulties and the other with limited arm movement. As a result, South Lanarkshire Council agreed to enhance the base around the raised bed to increase robustness for a motorised wheelchair and we have accommodated the other allotment holder by allocating a raised bed.

8. Income / Expenditure

Financial breakdown 20/21 Revenue Budget One off funding Total Income £2,860 - £2,860 Expenditure £43,500 £182,000 £225,500

In 2020/2021, South Lanarkshire Council received £2,860 in income and although food growing sites remained open during lockdown, a decision was taken to apply a reduced charge as many users would not be permitted to attend due to restrictions and therefore income figures are lower than normal. Revenue expenditure includes direct staffing costs, routine repairs, maintenance and materials. One off expenditure includes £150,000 to develop the new site at Lammermoor and £32,000 to supply 2 new composting toilets.

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