Community gardens that are appropriately located, designed and managed, enhance our city’s environmental sustainability, food security and social vibrancy. To be sustainable and to provide the greatest benefits, community gardens need to be community-led projects that are developed in response to genuine community demand and initiative, and they need to be managed by the groups themselves.

Council will provide support in the planning and development of the community garden, however, this process must be community led and the ongoing management of community gardens needs to be the responsibility of the gardens committee. Some limited support may be available to community garden groups, and will be considered on a case by case basis.

The level of support provided by Council will be determined by the following:

• whether the community garden provides broad community benefit and is publicly accessible;
• the level of need and demand for a community garden in a given location, and whether there are other community gardens nearby;
• the quality and viability of the Plan of Management;
• evidence of efforts to seek support from other sources and resources;
• the availability and suitability of resources within the Council to respond to the request for support;
• other factors which may be deemed by Council to be significant.

Council’s community garden contact person may be able to assist community garden groups in the following ways:

Finding a location: Assist community gardening groups to find a suitable location for their proposed community garden, either on private or council land.

Licensing the use of community land: Council will consider proposals for community gardens to be established on Council land on a case by case basis, with priority given to proposals that meet the above criteria. Please note that Council will only licence use of land to a group that is incorporated.

Advice on planning and management: Offer advice and guidance to groups in the development and refinement of Plans of Management, and identify training opportunities. Council officers may be available to assist with any planning approvals that may be required.

Design and horticultural advice: Provide feedback and advice to groups in the design of community gardens. This may include visiting the site to discuss the layout and construction, to identify potential site constraints, and to provide horticultural advice.

Promotion: Help to raise awareness of the community garden and any community programmes being offered at the garden, via Council’s website, newsletters or other avenues.

Education: Council may accept requests for the facilitation of training on a case by case basis; topics may include grant writing, composting, worm farms, organic pest management, etc.

Grants: Council administers a number of general grants that community garden groups may be eligible to apply for. For more information on the grants that Council administers, please visit:
Grants

Council’s community gardens contact person

For any enquiries or information in relation to community gardens, please contact:

Janet Willoughby
Strategic Planner
Open Space and Recreation
72 Woodville Rd, Woodville 5011
0417 971 923
jwilloughby@charlessturt.sa.gov.au