By Joe McCann
ALLEYWAYS and lanes across Ards and North Down could be used to set up community food growing projects, it has been claimed.
The proposal from a Bangor councillor mirrors the highly successful initiative in Belfast which has seen many alleyways transformed into green spaces which have received national attention from well known gardeners and environmentalists.
The proposal to use alleyways and lanes to grow food and to transform areas that are traditionally regarded as dreary and uninviting spaces came at a meeting of the council’s Environment Committee during a debate on the Let’s Grow Initiative which promotes community food growing through the creation of allotments, gardens and orchards.
The council is hoping to create 84,000 square metres of community gardens and allotments but to date has only managed to establish 32,000 square metres.
Bangor Central councillor Alistair Cathcart suggested using alleyways and laneways within the borough for these activities and said it would be a great way to improve areas which look abandoned and add to community cohesion.
He said: “I think there’s work to be done with community groups to brighten up alleyways and to do a lot of these things in those unutilised spaces throughout the borough.”
The initiative in Belfast has transformed many alleyways and has attracted the attention of people like Monty Don, the presenter of Gardeners’ World and leading environmentalist Chris Packham.
Mr Cathcart’s suggestion received broad support, with councillors saying community food programmes were great for building community networks.
Ards peninsula councillor Pete Wray said food growth is clearly a priority in North Down. “We need increased provision,” he said. “There’s community demand and we have untapped potential in terms of some council land that we have.”
Bangor East councillor Hannah Irwin said there is a community orchard in Linear Park which has been great for community spirit and building community networks. “The orchard has been a central focal point and has really become a meeting place for people,” she said.
“We held a summer fun day there and, in an area where we have very little community infrastructure, this has provided something that was very, very greatly needed.”
UUP councillor Craig Blainey however asked if officers could ensure that when land was set aside to use for these programmes that it was looked into where it could be used best, was accessible to the public and wouldn’t lead to a situation where all the available land for these activities was heavily based in one area to the detriment of others.
