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Ness Community Gardens
Proposal code: THC-2026-02-37
We propose to create a community garden and allotments in Fortrose.
Estimated Price
60000
We are very soon expecting to be the owners of a 0.67 acre field in Fortrose which we wish to turn into a community garden and allotments. We need funding for groundworks, a shed (£1,500), trees, benches, shelters, 2 bike racks, information signage (£2,000), tools, raised beds, pipework for pond and allotments.
The project is important for our community because it doesn't have a formal park or place outdoors where everyone young and old can meet and grow fruit/veg together and where we can nurture wildlife and spend time outside. Our community has a lot of newer residents following the Ness Gap, Rosemarkie and Feddonhill developments and this will provide space where we can meet and work on an outdoor growing project together. This will be good for community cohesion.
Place Plan
Our project fits into the "Think Global Act Local" part of the plan in that it will provide opportunities for our community to become more sustainable by learning how to grow fruit, nuts, and vegetables, and how to create spaces which are good for wildlife as well as people. It also fits with the aspiration for Community Infrastructure in that we will be encouraging active travel, providing parking only for disability, providing bike racks, and it's in the heart of our community so it will be easy for everyone to access. It will be safe for users, will provide opportunities to walk and participate in growing, and encourages people to walk there. Community empowerment is one aim of the Place Plan, and we think our project demonstrates we are learning how to do this. We think that by providing an outdoor facility we make our community more sustainable because there will be more to do there. Regarding Health & Wellbeing our project will promote and encourage healthy living (exercise, food-growing, connection with nature) and also healthy eating and sustainable food production. We hope to encourage wildlife to diversify (it currently is not particularly diverse in terms of plant or bird-life) and our pond will encourage more insect-life too.
Expected Outcomes
We expect that people will enjoy meeting each other in a setting where we will get to know each other by working together outside on this project. It will specifically benefit school students who will be encouraged to get involved and the local care home which is just across the road as a place to visit and enjoy. We hope it will be used by the local medical practice for "social prescribing". We expect that a space which is currently a field will become a hub for outdoor activities such as growing, gardening, quiet contemplation as well as potentially space for outdoor theatre or group-meeting space. We believe wildlife will benefit by the increased diversification of plants and also more diverse habitats. There will be 6 quarter-allotments where local people can grow their own food, and smaller raised beds to cater for disability and young people's growing projects.
Milestones
We have had funding from the local Co-op Community Fund, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, and the Scottish Land Fund. The Scottish Land Fund funds enabled us to go through the whole development process (valuation, ecological surveys, topographical survey, landscape design & planting plan, feasibility study and business plan. In addition, we have completed several community surveys, and we have more than 200 local resident members of ROGS who have been very supportive and encouraging. Within the next few weeks we expect to have been given Planning Permission by Highland Council and at that point ownership of the land, which is currently owned by Tulloch Homes, will be transferred to Regenerate Our Green Space Ltd. We have quotes for the initial works.
Start/End Date
An estimate of groundworks starting is some time in the next 6 months. End date would be approximately December 2028.