Growing and gardening UK news

2011
London’s gardens becoming less green: 57% (22,000 ha) of London’s garden land is vegetated (measured in 2006-08). But this area has fallen from 25,000 ha in 1998-99. That’s a 12% drop of some 3,000 ha, lost at a rate of 2.5 Hyde Parks per year. 8th June, 2011 wildlifetrusts.org, 8th June, 2011 
Allotments: neighbourhood planning powers currently being trailed across the country will provide communities with a means to boost the number of sites with powers to protect existing allotments and identify new plots, say government, 7 May communities.gov.uk, 7 May 2011 In addition requirements for councils to provide allotments will be safeguarded as part of a wider review into reducing statutory burdens on local authorities. 
2010
 
100px	Number of people waiting for an allotment rises by 20% over the last year. National Society of Allotment & Leisure Gardeners considering legal action against councils which have not met their statutory duty to provide allotments. 26 April localgov.co.uk, 26 April 2010
	Complete phase out of peat from the amateur gardener market by 2020 aimed for by campaign, 8 March Defra, 8 March 2010
	Government to set up national community land bank to act as a broker between land-holders and community groups who want somewhere to grow food, 3 March Communities and Local Government, 3 March 2010
	Roof garden opens at Liverpool University, 26 February BBC news, 26 February 2010
2009
*1,000 new allotment plots will be created on National Trust land in the next three years to give local communities the space to grow their own fruit and vegetables. February 2009 National Trust, February 2009The initiative comes as demand for growing spaces is at an all time high - with more than 100,000 people currently on allotment waiting lists – as people look to spend more time with friends or family, exercising in the outdoor ‘gym’ and enjoying the fresh food they can produce. Each of the new growing spaces will be created on communities’ doorsteps throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and will be registered through the new Landshare website set up by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall to ‘match-make’ between keen growers and available land.
References
Category:News UK
Category:Growing and gardening