There was an amazing amount of support shown for the garden, particularly one that was started by community members, for the community, and didn't rely upon the Council (or Council money). As well as support, some people voiced their concerns that the area should have been left "wild", ie. the didn't like the raised bed we had built for organic veggie seeds etc. This concern to keep the area wild & undeveloped was quoted as one of the more important ones to me (and indeed I am in favour of wild spaces everywhere) but it was not the reason why our garden was destroyed, as is evident by the concrete slabs & metal benches and table the Council put in on top of our garden site. There is neither wild space nor a garden there now.
Since the garden demolition, we have been in talks with the Council to determine a way to move forward with our gardening efforts, and a plot of unused land was suggested as a site for our new garden in Harrison Park. Sounds good, right? Well, it hasn't happened yet but we are in it for the long haul, and with that in mind, the Council has come up with a survey to determine the amount of support there is for a community garden/growing space. Check it out here: Edinburgh Lothian Greenspace page . There is a survey on a link from that page and as there is space to add your own comments, I would ask you, friends of Trees Not Trash, to weigh in with your thoughts about the destruction of our garden, the need for this type of community involvement and initiative, and if you are supportive of our group running this proposed garden : take the survey!
