UK: Rail chiefs evict guerilla gardeners

[John Ashworth]

Rail chiefs tell guerilla gardeners: get off our wasteland

Published Date: 08 October 2009
By HAZEL MOLLISON

A GROUP of "guerilla gardeners" have been "evicted" from a plot of derelict land they had tidied up and turned into an allotment.

The green-fingered group had begun to cultivate the land near the railway in Morningside and spent several days tidying it up and removing rubbish before planting.

But when they returned to harvest their crops, they found Network Rail had moved in and padlocked the gate to stop them "trespassing" on the land.

Grace Ellis, one of the gardeners at the plot near Balcarres Street, said they had up to 12 people working on the land at a time.

She said: "There was such a lot of enthusiasm for the project. It was great seeing people learning to plant potatoes and growing their own food for the first time.

"Then just as we were beginning to harvest things, they came along and put the lock on.

"We weren't surprised, but we were very disappointed. People cleared as much stuff as they could, but a lot of it went to waste."

They discovered the combination lock had been installed last month. After contacting Network Rail, the company agreed to give them ten days to remove any plants and equipment from the land.

Professor Richard Carter, a biologist from Edinburgh University, who has been involved in the project for the past six months, said many local people and students were upset by the move. He lives next to the land, which has been derelict and covered in rubbish for several years.

He said: "We cleared the land, including much rubbish and dangerous material, and planted it and maintained it and generally made much progress in restoring the site to good use.

"Our activities were universally applauded by those who passed by and evoked enthusiasm, and sometimes open emotion, for what was being done. Some joined us in our activities in this way."

There is currently a seven-year wait for allotments in Edinburgh, with demand far outstripping supply.

Peter Wright, chairman of the Scottish Allotment Gardens Society, said he was disappointed the gardeners had not been able to reach an agreement with Network Rail. They tried to negotiate renting the land earlier this year, but were quoted a price of £500, around ten times the normal council rent for allotments.

He said: "When you look at the land, there is really nothing else you can do with it. It's too small and close to the railway to develop as houses or shops.

"This was a real community garden. Now it must be costing Network Rail a lot of money to keep it secure."

But a spokesman for the rail company said the land had commercial value, and the gardeners had no right to use it.

He said: "They have gone in and trespassed on the land without any permission.

"Allotments are obviously hard to come by, but ultimately Network Rail has a responsibility to make the best use of the land available. All money we make is invested back into the railways."


The full article contains 512 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
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* Last Updated: 08 October 2009 10:09 AM
* Source: Edinburgh Evening News
* Location: Edinburgh