Right to Grow

Memo to SALC Network Members regarding the Right to Grow February 1st, 2024 In September 2022, Shropshire Council approved a motion put forward by Councillor Rosemary Dartnall which granted citizens the right to apply to grow food on publicly owned land that isn't being used or is in disuse. In the context of the Cost of Living crisis and supply chain disruptions, local growing and community gardens can provide an essential service in providing food and building community resilience. The Right to Grow is a movement being driven by Incredible Edible. The organisation been building its campaign with legal backing to push the Right to Grow through Parliament's Levelling-up Bill. Recently, Incredible Edible, Sustain and others celebrated Hull for being the first city to grant the Right to Grow. While Shropshire did in fact do this a year earlier, there has yet to be a Right to Grow application granted in Shropshire and we have found that many Town and Parish Councils have not been made aware of the motion or the process. Shropshire Good Food Partnership wants to ensure that citizens and councillors know about the Right to Grow, and to encourage them to work together to make the most out of publicly owned land. Here are two helpful resources to introduce Shropshire citizens and councillors to how the Right to Grow and the application process works. • Shropshire Council's Portal for Community Growing Projects (Includes application form, guidance for Councils and Community Members and other details). Both parties must be clear on whether the land identified belongs to Shropshire Council or the Town and Parish Council, as that will determine who the application gets submitted to and who conducts the necessary checks. • Street Allotment Project's Guides for Community Groups for the Right to Grow The Right to Grow can be a tool for councils and community groups to address local level food insecurity as well as a wider range of issues. As an example, the Bishop’s Castle Community Food Resilience Strategy (the first of its kind in Shropshire) is nested within the Town Council’s Climate Action Plan as a facet of its wider emissions reduction and resilience approach. SGFP will be glad to speak with community members or councillors who would like more information on the Right to Grow in their communities, as well as community food resilience planning in general. About Us: The Shropshire Good Food Partnership has been established to create a local food system which is good for people, place and planet. SGFP has recently been awarded a Bronze Award by the Sustainable Food Places network for the work we do to bring people together from across the County representing all aspects of the food system, from farmers to retailers, those involved with food banks and food festivals, community organisations, academic institutions, and the local Councils. SGFP works on a range of issues from championing the Right to Grow and agro-ecological farming approaches, to supporting our 150+ of members who are working to address food poverty and convening discussions on reducing food waste. Our initiatives have included the Shropshire Good Food Trail, the Shropshire Love Nature Festival and the Marches Real Food & Faming Conference. Contact: Jenny@shropshiregoodfood.org Hello@shropshiregoodfood.org @shropshiregoodfood on Facebook and Instagram