Minutes of the 16th Meeting of the Dartford Allotments Steering Committee
Princes Sports and Leisure Centre on Monday April 5, 1999 from 8.00 pm
Present: Mr R Stone (Swanscombe) Chair, Mr & Mrs W Hamilton (Marcet Rd), Mr M Still (Tredegar), Mr G Laidlaw (Dartford Rd), Dr R Wiltshire (Research Officer), Mr R Johnson (Secretary).
1) Apologies for Absence: Mr A Hewitt.
2) Minutes of the Fifteenth Meeting: Accepted.
3) Matters Arising from the Minutes of the Fifteenth Meeting:
3.10) Welcome Pack: The QED Steering Group have agreed that further progress depends upon whether anyone is willing to take overall responsibility for the project.
6b)1) Dr Wiltshire's interview published in "Gardening Which" on the Governments response to the "Future for Allotments" report has resulted in requests for further information about allotments and LA21 from allotment associations in Ilford, Milton Keynes, High Wycombe and Liverpool.
6b)4) Article on QED Allotments has been submitted to Shell Better Britain Campaign's Interactive Newsletter.
8a) Composting education packs were obtained and have been distributed to the participating schools, seeds have been obtained and a video on pumpkin growing at Uplands is awaiting duplication.
4) Research Officer's Report:
a) Continuing contribution is being made to Sustain (formerly SAFE/NFA)'s City Harvest Project as member of the working party, with the final meeting scheduled for 14th April. The draft feasibility report authored by Tara Garnett is to be published in final form later this year and contains a one-page case study of Dartford Road Allotments, plus seven other references to Dartford Road and/or QED.
b) Sustain published the "Food Indicators Toolkit" in February with acknowledgement to QED's input at the testing stage.
c) Talk was given to the "Mental Health Promotion Conference" at Stone House on 8th February which was well received and a report on it has been published in Thrive (formerly Horticultural Therapy's journal Growth Point). Additional reports will appear in the Conference Proceedings, MIND Exchange and the Holistic Health Journal.
d) Professor David Crouch represented Dartford Road AA at the launch of the "Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens" at the House of Lords on 23rd March hosted by Lord Alton. He says in his report that the people he spoke to were "all very excited and impressed with the work of Dartford Road AA and QED".
e) Dr Wiltshire has been invited by NSALG to address their Annual Conference in Plymouth on 4th June on the subject of Allotments in LA21.
f) Dr Wiltshire is at present working on a document discussing allotments in the planning of sustainable cities in Thames Gateway as discussed in the book "Sociable Cities" by Peter Hall and Colin Ward.
5) Publicity:
a) Spa Hill Organic Gardeners Group and Olveston Allotment (South Gloucestershire) have joined the QED Virtual Potting Shed.
b) QED signs have been obtained for Dartford Road and the West Dartford Allotment and Garden Society.
c) Mr R Stone is profiled in the spring edition of HDRA's magazine "Growing Organically", and appears on BBC Radio Kent discussing allotments and organic gardening.
6) Joint Activities with the QED Waste Management Group:
a) Pallets: 100 pallets have been donated by National Power and distributed to Dartford Road and Tredegar Allotments with further supplies expected.
b) Barrels: the first 22 barrels from Akzo Nobel have now been distributed to Dartford Road, Wilmot Road and Tredegar Allotments. Akzo will contact Dr Wiltshire when more are available for collection and DBC have been asked to arrange for Rethmanns to collect. The Chair of QED Waste Management Group presented a cheque for £66 to Tredegar Allotments Club which was the sum collected as donations from people who received barrels. A press release about the scheme has been issued.
7) Joint Activities with the QED Biodiversity Group:
The "Gardening for Life" leaflet has been issued and distributed.
8) Joint Activities with the QED Health Group:
Dr Wiltshire met Dr Stoate at the latter's request and he has offered to call for an adjournment debate and host a Commons launch for a suitable initiative promoting allotments. The aim is to promote allotments in the context of their health benefits aimed at the active elderly in association with the Health Education Council, doctors and the Department of Health. This will be discussed at the next Health group meeting.
9) QED Food Issues Group:
This is to be called the QED Food Forum and a press release will go out next month.
10) Local Government Association Allotments Advisory Group:
The advisory group met on 3rd March and QED submissions were well received. The LGA is to produce an advocacy document for allotments centered on LA21 and will include a number of short case studies of good practice with QED as one. Dr Wiltshire has been requested to comment on the draft document.
11) QED Allotments Newsletter:
1000 have been printed and circulated. Mrs S Morey is standing down as editor and although Dr Wiltshire will edit the next edition a new permanent editor is required. The committee tabled a vote of thanks to Mrs Morey for her part in making the newsletter as successful as it has become.
12) Darenth Country Park Allotment Project:
The advisory group has met but nothing new has been reported to change the current recommendations.
13) Revision of Planning Guidance Document PPG17:
Reply from Alan Meale MP has been circulated.
14) Dartford Festival 1999:
It was stressed that competition entries from as many sites as possible are required. Details and an entry form are in the Spring Newsletter.
15) "Tidy Britain" Campaign 1999:
Tredegar allotments wish to participate in the scheme and have applied for a skip.
16) Any Other Business:
a) Preliminary contacts are being sought in order to arrange a QED coach trip to visit allotments in France, Mr Gousey from Dartford Road has agreed to assist with translation tasks.
b) Mr R Stone is to investigate coach trips to the HDRA sites at Ryton and Yalding.
17) Date of Next Meeting:
The next meeting has been arranged for Monday 7th June 1999 from 8.00 pm at the Princes Sports and Leisure Centre.
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