Morning:
13°c
I’ll turn West End building site into the grow-bag allotments
Rosamund Urwin21.04.09
THE abandoned “Noho Square” development could be turned into allotments where residents grow fruit and vegetables in large, portable “grow bags”.
Rebecca Hossack, a Conservative councillor for Camden who also runs two art galleries in the area, is campaigning for residents to use the three-acre building site north of Oxford Street as demand for allotments soars.
The Bloomsbury site is expected to lie empty for at least two years after developers the Candy brothers pulled out of the scheme, which they had named Noho Square, last October.
Their partner in the development, Icelandic bank Kaupthing, still owns the site, but is now in exclusive talks with developer Stanhope about building there and has said it will consider the allotment request.
Industry experts predict that they will not start building on the square for up to five years.
Ms Hossack, 53, who already grows her own vegetables outside her Conway Street gallery, believes the former Middlesex Hospital site should be used to help offset the shortage of growing space in London. Her other gallery is in nearby Charlotte Street.
“We hope the developers will see this as a good way of giving something back to the community,” Ms Hossack said.
“This is a huge site at the heart of London and it would be a shame to leave it empty when so much could be grown there.”
The bare ground is unsuitable for plants but she plans to use the giant grow bags filled with soil on the land. She has been inspired by other Londoners who have managed to convert spaces previously considered unsuitable into gardens.
The John Scurr Community Centre in Limehouse has turned wasteland into a community garden, using boxes made out of recycled timber and tyres in which to grow vegetables.
Kaupthing admits that it will take at least a year to get planning permission for its development.
Mike Samuels, head of Kaupthing's real estate team, said: “We would like to help them with this if we can. There is a question of insurance and liabilities, but if these problems can be overcome, they may well be able to use the site.”
Gardeners in London can face up to a 10-year wait for an allotment after the number of plots available fell by 1,500 in the last decade as developers claimed green spaces.
Geoff Stokes, Secretary of the National Society of Allotments & Leisure Gardeners, said: “There is a huge demand for allotments in London, particularly in the inner boroughs.”
Sam Clark, chef at Moro restaurant in Exmouth Market, who ran the Manor Garden allotments on the river Lea until they were moved to make way for the Olympics, said: “It's a fantastic idea. I love raised beds and you can be very productive on an allotment in a year. All you need is a summer and a spring and you can produce a fantastic amount of crops. Everyone is aware of the importance of not wasting space in London and it's such an untapped source to use a small area of land for growing on.”
Growing bags — which can be bought from garden centres and seed sellers such as Unwins for less than £5 — are also used in the Vacant Lot site in Hoxton, a formerly inaccessible and run-down plot of housing estate land.
It was turned into a garden by handing residents a half-tonne bag each of soil as their plot.
After spending £6 on seeds, one managed to grow 200 lettuces, as well as cucumbers, carrots and spring onions.
Best plots to grow your own
Prior Street Allotments, Greenwich
18 plots
Site is so popular there is a waiting list of more than 100 names. The person at the top of the list applied for a plot in 1998.
Fulham Palace Meadows
406 plots
Covers Anglo-Saxon site of historical importance. Protected from development.
Spa Hill, Crystal Palace Hill
300 plots
Site has an electricity generating wind turbine and a 200-year-old pond.
Fitzroy Park Allotments, Hampstead
88 plots
The largest site in Camden. Holders are encouraged to swap produce.
One Tree Hill, Honor Oak Park, 75 plots
The site is on a steep hillside with a small wood. Holders proud of regular social events such as barbecues and bonfires.
The Rosendale Allotments, Tulse Hill
480 plots
Site has a beekeeping area and greenhouses. Runs a farmers' market every second Sunday.
King Henry's Walk Garden, Islington
76 raised small bed plots
Current president is Joe Swift of BBC television programme Gardeners' World.
The Royal Paddocks, Hampton Wick
More than 200 plots
The former paddock of the king's horses was granted by George V in 1921 for “use as allotments for the public”.
Old Palace Lane, Richmond, 29 plots
Once part of the old Sheen monastery, built in 1414 by Henry V for 40 monks.
