Council pulls the plug on community garden

Community garden hopes dashed

Lewisham council has, in a complete reversal of its position last Autumn, withdrawn its support for a community garden on the former Watergate School site at the end of Church Grove, Ladywell.

Having encouraged locals to make use of the site on a short lease, the council has now backed out. It seems that whilst officers in one part of the Council were supportive of the garden idea, others had earmarked the site to build a school annexe in 2012 and were concerned that it might be difficult to take back the land at the end of 2011 once it had become a thriving and popular community garden.

Whilst residents cautiously welcome a return to education use, they do feel they've rather been led down the garden path and wonder whether some more joined-up thinking is needed at Lewisham council?