Land share and using public land

We’ve signed our first community growing licence with Calderdale Council. It’s not just another bit of paper. As Nick Green wrote in his blog, ‘it signals a quantum shift in the institutional mindset. Where previously the intention was to be authoritarian and control freakish, or to abdicate responsibility totally by selling off property, this is a middle way, it signals trust.’ We may sometimes be stroppy but we’ve also worked to earn that trust.

If you want details of the licence, which can be used by any community group in Calderdale, contact us or email Mags Bryson at the Council. Politicians and officers have responded positively to this community initiative. As Coun Ian Cooper puts it: ‘Incredible Edible Todmorden is a great example of how communities can really make a difference by working together, and planting small seeds that grow into big changes. It’s incredible how fruit and veg has been springing up all over the Calder Valley. We now want to build on this success to encourage even more people across Calderdale to start growing their own.’

The licence is an example of how our campaigning action has tried to bring about change. Sometimes we’ve just gone ahead and grown on vacant plots but we’re always aiming to change minds so that public bodies – and the public, alias yourselves and ourselves – look differently at local land, and at the idea of local food. Virtually all our work with Growing bodies in ‘What we do’ now has agreement – with the Health Centre (owned by Assura), Network Rail, the fire service, Ferney Lee old people’s home, schools and anyone else who’ll have us!

We also support the idea of land share, of people offering to use and to make available for use, spare bits of private land. Check out the landshare national website for details of how to register, and what’s available locally.

We are working too with local farmers and welcome their views and help. The more that local land can be used for local food – the happier we’ll be!