Londoners are being urged to make buying local produce one of their New Year’s resolutions, as a new report calls for changes to the planning system to exploit the capital’s potential to become more self-sufficient.
‘Cultivating the Capital: Food growing and the planning system in London'[1], by the London Assembly’s Planning and Housing Committee, highlights the need for amendments to the London Plan and local authority planning policies to encourage food growing in London.
Despite being a sprawling urban metropolis, Greater London is home to almost 500 farms. The capital currently produces more than 8,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables, including grapes, aubergines, potatoes, cauliflowers and cabbages as well as around 27 tonnes of honey, meat, milk and eggs.
But London could produce so much more; the report found that much of the "agricultural" land around London – around 15 per cent of the capital’s total area, mostly in the Green Belt – is not actively farmed.
The report calls on the Mayor to make specific amendments to the London Plan to remove barriers to the viability of farms and highlight food growing as a particularly desirable use in the Green Belt, giving it the same weight as is other uses that are permitted there like outdoor recreation.
The Mayor should also integrate urban agriculture into waste, water and energy policies and empower boroughs to encourage growing spaces on housing developments, rooftops and vacant land.
Green Party Member of the London Assembly and Chair of the Planning and Housing Committee, Jenny Jones, said:
"The publication of the Government’s food strategy demonstrates that sustainably produced food is an issue of major concern for the UK.
"With the right policy interventions, the capital could produce so much more of its own food.
"More self-sufficiency means better food security. Why continue to rely on huge quantities of food flown in from thousands of miles away when the capital has the potential to reap the health, social and economic benefits of locally grown produce?"
Alongside specific amendments to the London Plan and borough planning policies[2], recommendations in the report cover:
Removing barriers to commercial viability
Commercial growers who contributed to the Committee’s investigation spoke of the challenges they face to keep their operations viable, including pressure from housing development and ‘land banking’. Some had found plans to modernise or diversify, like opening a farm shop on site, blocked by current Green Belt or planning policies. These should be revised.
Encouraging more farmers markets and distribution channels
There are currently five wholesale food markets in London[3], together representing 20 per cent of the total supply of fresh meat, fish, fruit and vegetable supplies to London and the South East, but the report identifies a need for planning policies to encourage more distribution hubs.
Tackling crime on farms
Crime adds up to 15 per cent to urban farmers’ costs compared with rural counterparts. The report calls on the Metropolitan Police Authority to properly record farm-related crime so the issue can be assessed and tackled.
Assessment of further available sites for food growing
The report commends the Mayor’s Capital Growth programme, which promotes the creation of local community growing spaces, and calls for an assessment of sites owned by the Greater London Authority to see if any are suitable for food growing. Boroughs should do the same for their existing and brownfield sites.
A full list of recommendations is on page 53 of the report. The Mayor and the London Food Board are asked to respond to the recommendations made.
Notes for editors:
1. The report: ‘Cultivating the Capital: Food growing and the planning system in London’ is available at: http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/reports/plansd.jsp2. Specific amendments to the London Plan and borough planning policies:
-The Mayor should include in the London Plan reference to Green Belt Policy (PPG2). To better support the objectives of the London Food Strategy, Draft policy 7.16 (Green Belt) should specifically state that food growing is one of the most beneficial land uses in the Green Belt. Draft policy 7.16 should also include a requirement for boroughs to give added weight to food growing as one of the most productive activities in the Green Belt when preparing policies for their Local Development Frameworks.
– Through draft policy 7.22 Boroughs should incorporate urban agriculture in Local Development Frameworks as a desirable urban activity. The Mayor should add to policy 7.22 under ‘LDF Preparation’ that food growing is one of the most productive land uses in the Green Belt.
– The London Plan should specifically support the potential for farmers markets in the public realm and in particular public squares and large open public spaces. The proposed Town Centre SPG (due by 2011) should include detailed guidance regarding farmers markets and distribution networks for locally grown food.
– The Mayor should amend draft London Plan Policy 5.21 (Contaminated land) to include food growing in raised beds or skips on potentially contaminated sites as a feasible temporary alternative to the often expensive remediation of contaminated soil.
– The Mayor should through the London Plan encourage the temporary use of vacant public and private land for urban agriculture and encourage Boroughs to include relevant policies in their LDFs.
– The Mayor should integrate urban agriculture into waste, water and energy policies in the London Plan and link these with the expanded draft policy 7.22. The Mayor should also integrate urban agriculture into waste, water and energy strategies (at GLA and Borough level).
– The Mayor should ensure the London Plan contains stronger links with existing policies of the London Food Strategy relevant to planning matters.
3. Billingsgate, New Covent Garden, Smithfield, Spitalfields and Western International
4. The report will be considered for formal agreement by the Planning and Housing Committee on 14 January.
5. Jenny Jones AM, Chair of the Planning and Housing Committee, is available for interview. See contact details below.
6. As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.