Greening Highbury Quadrant – Nature Connections
Background
Highbury Quadrant Estate (HQE), one of the largest estates in Islington, was completed in 1954 to replace bomb-damaged areas of Highbury. Situated just 500 metres from Elizabeth House, the estate has 750 homes, all nestled within green spaces adorned with mature trees. In an area where open space is scarce – Islington being the most densely populated borough in London – these green spaces are invaluable.
In 2019, Elizabeth House ran a series of community consultations, in partnership with Octopus Community Network’s Urban Growing Programme, HQE Tenants & Residents Association, and Islington Council, asking local people for ideas on what to do to bring three green spaces on the estate back into community use, designated as ‘enhanced wildlife spaces’, but which had become overgrown and inaccessible.
Following the consultations, Elizabeth House successfully applied to the Greener City Fund (Mayor of London) to develop the 3 depleted green spaces into thriving community nature gardens. About the size of five tennis courts, the ambition was to support and empower local people to transform these green spaces using permaculture principals of ‘Fair Share, People Care and Earth Care’.
Development
The project kicked-off in early 2020 and was ambitious to harness local people’s skills, knowledge and aspirations to change environmental attitudes by demonstrating the valuable resources on their estate, which, if looked after, can support people’s health and wellbeing through access to nature. Elizabeth House commissioned Octopus Community Networks Urban Growing Programme to bring much needed experience. The support from Octopus has been invaluable in developing our own knowledge and skills as a community centre, empowering us in ‘green solutions’ and building our capacity to take the project into ‘next steps’ for the future.
An early collective decision was made that the newly renovated spaces would be community led, with an evolving programme of workshops to support local people to gain the skills necessary to renovate and design the spaces, to improve soil health, increase bio-diversity and garden for the benefit of the community and the environment.
We are now well into our fourth year of development and have recently secured more funding that will ensure the continuity and sustainability, of this project into the future. Elizabeth House has a license from Islington Council to develop and manage the 3 spaces.
Over 2 years, 78 local residents got involved, volunteering their time to create the new growing spaces, build wildlife habitats, plant flowers for pollinators, bulbs and fruiting shrubs and berries, plant an Orchard and build food growing raised beds.
‘’I include coming down to the gardens as part of my daily walk, I really like the spaces, and I get to see and listen to the birds. I love that we have a bird garden in the orchard. I always check that the birds have food and water.’’
“I really like that I can bring my little daughter along, she really likes it, also that we can just come in for a walk and explore the gardens at times that work for us, I like being a member.’’
‘’I moved onto Highbury Quadrant estate in 2019 and joined the community Gardening group in 2020. I am unequivocal that my involvement in the group has made me feel connected to my community and defines my sense of ‘home’ as being more than the four walls of my flat. I cannot calculate the benefit to me, neither do I really want to, as the joy of working in the gardens is not about personal gain, rather sharing a common interest and intent to make something beautiful, to enrich the immediate environment in which we live. However, it is impossible to overlook the sense of peace and comfort I find working within the group, digging, planting, sharing our experiences and learning together as part of a team. I have made friends with my fellow gardeners as well as residents that live near the gardens, whom even though not actively ‘working the land’ have become part of our group, coming out to talk about what we are doing and offer their responses and share gardening stories. I absolutely love working in the community garden spaces. It is very important to me.’’
The Nature Gardens runs as a membership model which is free to join. We now have over 100 members, with another 100+ people who have also been involved in the past 4 years.
Achievements
The project’s main aim has been realised. The transformation of these once derelict and unused spaces has been astounding and there is now a ‘movement’ of local people involved in ‘food growing’, wildlife nature gardening, greening the estate, composting, food waste recycling, and other actions to mitigate against climate change.
The Nature Gardens include 3 new garden spaces: the Meadow, the Orchard and the Woodland Garden offering:
- An informal social meeting space where neighbours can meet and get to know each other.
- Structured activities where members can learn new skills and share the ones they have.
- Opportunities to learn about the environment and how to look after it
- Community food growing and composting
- Tranquil safe outdoor green spaces where residents can relax while getting closer to nature.
Through evidenced based and community-led approaches, we know that to be successful the project’s activities must be firmly ‘placed’ as locally accessible but also within wider environmental green initiatives in Islington, involving people, creating opportunities and learning which is flexible and responsive to the aspirations of the local communities, so as to embed sustainability.
By co-producing ideas, plans, activities and shaping environmental learning with residents the project has sought to work in partnership, make connections and facilitate local use of existing green spaces providing multiple ‘green’ and ‘health’ benefits and to create new spaces for people to garden, grow food and improve their estate. The project has also sought to enable a partnership culture of mutual support, social connections, companionship and confidence in the neighbourhood.
