Blooming together – plans for a community garden in Northchurch

Have you recently passed through Northchurch along the main road from Berkhamsted? You probably won’t have noticed a barren square of tarmac on the right-hand side just after the church graveyard. Lying in the centre of the village, the space lies fenced in, covered in tarmac, unused and unloved.

Our vision is to create a community garden, turning what is an eyesore into a focal point our community can enjoy and be proud of. Lying next to the graveyard and school, the site is ideally placed to support local wildlife and bring nature into the centre of the village while also improving air quality in a pollution hotspot.

As residents of Northchurch, we take inspiration from the successful community projects in Berkhamsted; the Rectory Lane graveyard, the wild gardens by the station and on the corner of Lower Kings Road and Greene Field Road. We think we can - we must - do better with our space.

Building on plans that were developed by the school (see figure 1) our aim is to engage the local community in refining these plans and building a genuine sense of ownership over the garden. We have already secured the in principle support of key stakeholders such as Northchurch Parish Council (who were involved in an earlier attempt to regenerate the area before Covid struck), the school and the Diocese of St Albans who own the land. We’re working in partnership with Hertfordshire & Middlesex Wildlife Trust to deliver the project.

Will you join us? We think this is an idea whose time has come but need your help to make it a reality. Any help will be welcome, and we particularly need help fund-raising, drafting legal agreements and hosting events for the community.

Please contact Seb Beloe (beloe@live.co.uk) if you’d like to be help.

St Mary’s Community Garden – one potential option