For those of you who are lucky enough to cut through the curvy block of flats that separates Ermine road and Embleton road, you might have noticed an NCIL-funded garden this year, writes resident Iain.
The garden project started more than two years ago after the block’s residents finally moved on from a proposal to build housing on part of the flats’ much-loved and well used garden and green space. (You can see more about the history of the block here )
It all began with what turned out to be a difficult and long-winded funding application to Lewisham council.
At that time, rushed plans imagined a plot focussed on growing vegetables. NCIL funding was granted and the interminable liaison with property managers and the council started.
A formal residents association had to be formed. Money didn’t always make it to the account and needed chasing. Regenter Pinnacle (the much-maligned PFI management company of the block) gave, then withdrew, support before eventually giving the go ahead.
Multiple forms were demanded – monitoring, safeguarding and diversity, policies. A year ago, it felt like all the NCIL money could be spent spent on printing emails about the project to put on display in lieu of anything else actually happening.
But, for every hurdle that was placed in the way, someone helped out.
A friendly community development manager at Pinnacle, who emailed and visited on multiple occasions. He worked within the management company to secure permissions.
Council officers, including Ade Joseph, and local councilllors helped and the Lewisham Plus credit union provided an account that is otherwise hard to come by.
Meanwhile, beehives, ponds, ‘forest gardening’, watermelons and polytunnels were considered.
In the end, residents settled on what they wanted and the plans evolved into what there is now – a focus on wildlife, a space for residents to relax and things for the children to do, like walk on the logs and pick berries.
Grow Lewisham, St Mary’s Therapeutic Garden and the RHS gardener at Lewisham hospital all provided advice, contacts and seeds.
Tools and woodchip were donated. Bamboo, stumps and pots were found. Children dug holes, some plants overperformed (including weeds), some died, plenty were eaten and whatever was small got dug up by foxes.
For a bunch of people who started off with small balconies and a smattering of pots, it has been a triumph
And if anyone wondered what was in the planter closest to the walk through the block, I’ll tell you what I remember: Nicotiana, ageratum, salvia (hot lips), heliotrope, zinnia, verbena boniarsis, cosmos, marigold.