Latest news with #PeopleandCommunitiesCommittee
Belfast Telegraph
19-05-2025
- General
- Belfast Telegraph
Primary pupils urge budding gardeners to enter Belfast in Bloom
The school was among the winners of last year's contest, picking up the prize for Best School Garden (West). Their outdoor space brings pupils, their parents and grandparents together to foster a love of growing, with wildflowers, seasonal planting and vegetables all on display. The school's gardening club have also made the garden a home for local wildlife, with bug houses and bee-friendly habitats. Run by Belfast City Council, Belfast in Bloom celebrates the green-fingered efforts and work of local residents, community groups and businesses across the city. There are individual awards, community awards and prizes for commercial premises, businesses and schools. Visiting the St John the Baptist PS garden, Councillor Matt Garrett, Deputy Chair of Belfast City Council's People and Communities Committee, said: 'What a brilliant space the children and their teachers have built, creating a place that looks amazing and encourages young people to spend time outdoors, in nature, together with their friends and families. 'Their Belfast in Bloom award was well deserved and really appreciated by the school as an acknowledgement of all the hard work and effort that has gone into the garden. 'If you know a school that is doing something similar, a neighbour with amazing window boxes or hanging baskets, a business who has created a brilliant atmosphere with creative planting or a community group going the extra mile to bring people together through gardening – we want to hear about it! 'Nominating someone for an Belfast in Bloom award is a great way to recognise their efforts and, with this year's sunny spell, we hope to have lots of beautiful entries to choose from.' Residents can enter for the 'Best Hanging Basket', 'Best Window Box' and 'Best Garden'. Community organisations can enter for 'Best Community Street', 'Best Community Group' and 'Best Community Garden'. Businesses can enter the commercial category for 'Best Hotel', 'Best Public House', 'Best Restaurant', 'Best Commercial Street' and 'Best Commercial Premises', and local schools can enter for 'Best Kept School Garden' in the north, south, east and west of the city. There are also awards for 'Best Individual Allotment' and 'Best Allotment Site' in Belfast. The competition is free to enter, and nominations can be made online at The closing date for the school awards' category is Friday 20 June 2025 and the closing date for all other categories is Friday 1 August 2025, with judging taking place in August. Other winners in 2024 included The Errigle Inn, Linen Quarter BID for Great Victoria Street, Wolfhill Community Garden and Dundela Infants' School.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Demand for allotments in Belfast outweighs availability
Demand for allotments in Belfast is outweighing availability, with almost 1,000 keen gardeners on the waiting list for a plot. On the most recent count, there were 964 people on the waiting list for the city's 281 plots, according to a report submitted to a Belfast City Council committee. The longest waiting list is at Annadale Embankment and Tom Haire, who chairs its allotment group, said it had been an "ongoing problem" for a number of years. Belfast City Council said there was no budget to increase the number of allotments, but it was exploring options "to improve management of the waiting list". Mr Haire said it was "a very good thing" that the council had prepared a report. "We would regularly have people calling in to see how they are getting on in the waiting list," he said. "There are people who once they get a plot, they are reluctant to give them up. "At the bigger level it is a neglected area for the council, the commitment to allotments in my view needs to be strengthened." As it stands, the council has seven allotment locations in Belfast. Albert Drive, Castlereagh: eight plots - 125 people on the waiting Ballysillan in north Belfast: 57 - 65 waiting Annadale Embankment: 87 - 353 waiting Belmont: 60 - 205 waiting Blythefield: 22 - 22 waiting Musgrave, Stockmans Lane: 25 - 165 waiting Whiterock Road in west Belfast: 22 - 29 waiting At a meeting last week, a council officer told elected representatives the waiting list was "substantial". The report, submitted to the council's People and Communities Committee, said this was "evidence of a high demand for allotments". Gary Hill, who chairs Ballysillan Allotments Group, said there was great demand for the allotments, particularly from mothers with young families. "The council are doing their best to reduce the list as much as possible," he told BBC News NI. "We have 50 odd families here. "The council is beginning to realise it is not just old men pottering away, it is actually a family event, with people who are Polish, German, French, Dutch, and they bring their own skills of doing things." Prospective plot holders in the Belfast City Council area must complete an application form for an allotment, with plots allocated on a first come first serve basis. The plots are let on a yearly tenancy basis, with tenants renewing each year on an indefinite basis. They currently cost £50 a year for a full plot and £26 for a half plot. Belfast City Council has allocated an average of 22 plots per year since 2014. Currently 40 plots are vacant. The council said they will be allocated to those "on our waiting lists as soon as possible". The report suggests a range of options to improve the management of the waiting list. These include confirming that those on the list still require an allotment, highlighting opportunities to access other growing opportunities, for example at community gardens, and checking that plot holders want to retain their tenancy agreement. Other measures include asking plot holders if they wish to reduce the size of allotment to allow more people to take part, surveying plot holders every two years and considering the eligibility criteria. The council's city and neighbourhood services department is preparing a bid for a feasibility study looking at the possibility of increasing allotments provision and other community growing opportunities. It will also consider the existing infrastructure at each site. Belfast alleys' 'untapped potential' to grow crops The allotment firms helping trim long waiting lists 'Allotment gardening is a way of life'
BBC News
10-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Belfast allotments: Demand outweighs availability
Demand for allotments in Belfast is outweighing availability, with almost 1,000 keen gardeners on the waiting list for a the most recent count, there were 964 people on the waiting list for the city's 281 plots, according to a report submitted to a Belfast City Council committee. The longest waiting list is at Annadale Embankment and Tom Haire, who chairs its allotment group, said it had been an "ongoing problem" for a number of City Council said there was no budget to increase the number of allotments, but it was exploring options "to improve management of the waiting list". 'Not just old men pottering away' Mr Haire said it was "a very good thing" that the council had prepared a report."We would regularly have people calling in to see how they are getting on in the waiting list," he said."There are people who once they get a plot, they are reluctant to give them up."At the bigger level it is a neglected area for the council, the commitment to allotments in my view needs to be strengthened."As it stands, the council has seven allotment locations in Drive, Castlereagh: eight plots - 125 people on the waitingBallysillan in north Belfast: 57 - 65 waitingAnnadale Embankment: 87 - 353 waiting Belmont: 60 - 205 waitingBlythefield: 22 - 22 waitingMusgrave, Stockmans Lane: 25 - 165 waitingWhiterock Road in west Belfast: 22 - 29 waiting At a meeting last week, a council officer told elected representatives the waiting list was "substantial".The report, submitted to the council's People and Communities Committee, said this was "evidence of a high demand for allotments". Gary Hill, who chairs Ballysillan Allotments Group, said there was great demand for the allotments, particularly from mothers with young families."The council are doing their best to reduce the list as much as possible," he told BBC News NI. "We have 50 odd families here."The council is beginning to realise it is not just old men pottering away, it is actually a family event, with people who are Polish, German, French, Dutch, and they bring their own skills of doing things." How do you apply for an allotment? Prospective plot holders in the Belfast City Council area must complete an application form for an allotment, with plots allocated on a first come first serve basis. The plots are let on a yearly tenancy basis, with tenants renewing each year on an indefinite currently cost £50 a year for a full plot and £26 for a half City Council has allocated an average of 22 plots per year since 40 plots are vacant. The council said they will be allocated to those "on our waiting lists as soon as possible". What does the report recommend? The report suggests a range of options to improve the management of the waiting include confirming that those on the list still require an allotment, highlighting opportunities to access other growing opportunities, for example at community gardens, and checking that plot holders want to retain their tenancy measures include asking plot holders if they wish to reduce the size of allotment to allow more people to take part, surveying plot holders every two years and considering the eligibility council's city and neighbourhood services department is preparing a bid for a feasibility study looking at the possibility of increasing allotments provision and other community growing will also consider the existing infrastructure at each site.
