Lauriston Farm

A Vision for
Lauriston Farm

A Vision for
Lauriston Farm

Transforming an existing farm into an urban food production and community hub that benefits, supports and regenerates the environment and all those connected to it.

In November we held a community consultation about our proposed vision.

1030 people responded

Thank you to all who took part.

You can read a full summary of results here and our response here

Food

The top choices for accessing food from the farm were a CSA Vegbox scheme and farm stall.

Affordability and buying local were the top two priorities when it comes to food, with 69% of people on a higher income willing to pay extra to lower the cost for those on a low income.

Over half of those who wrote about the benefits of the project highlighted learning and awareness of food growing and access to local, healthy and affordable food.

Community

292 people were interested in training / education around food growing and tree care.

478 people were interested in volunteering days with many keen on longer term involvement

643 would attend seasonal celebrations and other events

High up the list of benefits mentioned were community cohesion, sense of place and bringing people together, alongside increased health and wellbeing and opportunities for youth engagement.

Most concerns were about the potential for increased traffic, with spoiled views, sustainability and vandalism also a concern for some.

Environment & Biodiversity

There was great interest in biodiversity activities - 576 in nature trails, 202 in biodiversity monitoring and 168 in bio blitzes

Almost a third of people that wrote about benefits mentioned environment and biodiversity, such as enhancing habitats and reducing carbon footprint, food miles and plastic packaging

Some people expressed concern about the effect on existing bird populations