Leeds Edible Campus; Woodhouse Moor

A report by Leeds Metropolitan University MA Town and Regional Planning Students

Lee Greenwood Nicholas Hirst Alicia Hunston

Preface
This report was completed by a mixture of full and part time students of Leeds Metropolitan Universitys MA Town and Regional Planning course. The group was made up of Nicholas Hirst, Alicia Hunston and Lee Greenwood. This report is part of a larger series of three, each taking a section of the grander Leeds Edible Campus area. Responsibilities for the report were split between the members to complete the research, audit and assessment of Woodhouse Moor. The initial audit was undertaken by all 3 members of the group, in which many of the photos seen throughout this report were taken. Todmorden, the home of the Incredible Edible ethos was visited and acts a as key source of inspiration and practical experience for the project. During the Incredible Edible Leeds Workshop, members of this group were put into two separate workforces. This gave a greater perspective when it came to new ideas. Following on, each member of the group worked on each page of the report equally.

Contents
Page 1: Page 3: Page 5: Page 7: Page 9: Page 11: Page 15: Page 19: Page 21: Introduction Maps and Site context Initial Land Audit Planning Implications and Policy Incredible Edible Leeds Workshop Event Quick Win Planting Locations Future Sites The Local Community; Learning and Opportunities with LEC Conclusion

Introduction
The premise of Leeds Edible Campus (LEC) in simple, you learn; you grow, you eat, you sustain. The project is about taking direct action, handing power to communities to shape their own future and reclaim the relationship with good quality, locally sourced food. The benets of the project are much wider reaching than simply providing food however. It is a positive, inclusive and educational process, which speaks to the fundamental principles in people, to not only look after themselves, but also each other. People have become disenchanted with the world and feel disconnected from political and economic bureaucracy. What LEC will do is enable communities to reconnect, to feel a sense of place and purpose. It has been shown in Todmorden, the genesis of Incredible Edible (IE), that it is achievable with the correct mind set and willingness to change the currently accepted patterns of day to day life. The key components to this are taking action, creating a sense of place and providing something which people relate to. Food is the starting point from which IE has taken huge steps forward, as it includes all members of the community regardless of age, religion, sex, or income. This report will focus of the transfer of these principles to a larger scale. The designated study area in this case is Woodhouse Moor, which lies to the north of the city centre and has a constantly changing and transient community due to the high levels of student accommodation. The main park is also a much valued, accessible and widely used commodity for local people and as well as those from much further aeld. The sense of openness and greenery, on a size such as this, is rare in Leeds. With this in mind, the aim of this report is to identify, discuss and prioritise possible food planting sites within the Woodhouse Moor area, which can be used to implement the IE ethos. To maintain the IE ethos, these sites need to be easily adaptable, relevant to the community and accessible for anyone wishing to engage. The sites will, in time, bring different aspects of the community together and help create an active and involved neighbourhood. It is acknowledged that there are challenges in achieving this; the city location is very different to a place such as Todmorden, where the project has thrived in the town environment. However, Woodhouse Moor in itself bears all the hallmarks of a community, with shops, restaurants, mixed ages, action groups and other facilities quite separate to the city. To this end, following the initial audit of nearly a dozen sites, three locations have been chosen as the starting point for the area. These, along with other medium and long term possibilities, will be discussed in this report. IE Todmorden began from small and humble beginnings, utilising any spare land possible to grow sustainable produce. The Woodhouse Moor opportunities in this report reect this and will be the catalyst for IEL.

Maps and Site Context

Figure 1: Map of Leeds with Woodhouse Moor highlighted

Woodhouse Moor is located approximately 1.6 km from Leeds City Centre, as can be seen in Figure 1. Woodhouse Moor is a large park on the edge of Leeds City Centre. The park is currently spans at approximately 26 hectares and is multi-functional with various different facilities available for the visitors such as: tennis courts; playground; bowling green; basketball court; skate park and private allotments.

Figure 2: LEC Carrot

Known by many names to date, Figure 2 shows the Incredible Edible Leeds Campus Corridor carrot area, as it was known at one point. The project has suffered from many names, nally settling upon Leeds Edible Campus. Roughly 800m in length and 350m at its thickets, the campus corridor represents a large area, just outside a major British city.

Around 26 hectors in area, the land of Woodhouse Moor is owned by Leeds City Council, and is managed by the Parks and Recreation department at Leeds City Council. There is however also a heavily involved steering group for the preservation of Woodhouse Moor: Friends of Woodhouse Moor. The park is visited by 3 million people annually. The land was bought by Leeds Corporation for 3,000 in 1857. Quickly following its purchase, the park was opened as a Victorian era public park, within the year of 1857. The park currently consists of three parts, the rst been the main parkland commonly known as Hyde Park Field and two further sites on the other side of Woodhouse Lane, which are known as Monument and Lower. The park however was once much larger, with land now occupied by The University of Leeds being part of the original public park in 1857. In 1858, Queen Victoria visited the park during her visit to open Leeds Town Hall, leading to the building of the Victoria Memorial which was moved into Woodhouse Moor from the centre of Leeds in 1937. In addition to the statue of Queen Victoria, other statues found within Woodhouse Moor include; Robert Peel Statue; Duke of Wellington Statue; and the Henry Rowland Marsden Statue. Due to a rise in popularity of Leeds as a student city, and Woodhouse Moor as a leisure location for the growing student population, over the last few decades the area has had tension rise between the transient student population and long term residents. The development of the greater Hyde Park area as a student housing mini village led many families to leave, and over periods of student withdrawal, such as summer holidays, the area become much emptier. These changes have led to a rise in many social issues, such as crime and litter. It is hoped that the LEC project will remedy and galvanise the roles of these groups, creating a distinctive sense of place and relationship between all occupants.

Figure 3: Woodhouse Moor plan

Source: woodhousemoor.org.uk

Initial Land Audit

The rst task to be undertaken was an audit of our chosen study area. A walking survey was carried out, identifying multiple sites which could potentially be suitable for the project. Eleven possible areas were selected as starting point for consideration. There are numerous benets of using such an area to develop and implement the Incredible Edible ideology within Leeds. The sites experience a large amount of footfall from the nearby student population, local residents and those travelling further aeld. This will hopefully ensure a high level of interaction in the LEC process and ensure that a signicant percentage of the population are aware of the project. We were wary however, that the sites should not impose on or restrict the use of the park as a whole. As a result, the choices we made were considered within the IEL Workshop (at the time the designated name for the Leeds Edible Campus area was potentially Incredible Edible Leeds, therefore the workshop was named thusly), and a hierarchy of preference attributed to the sites, based on a number of factors. Our visit to the site identied some alternatives sites which we had not deemed appropriate originally, but those we had felt to be quick wins (i.e. sites that could be easily adapted and converted for planting) were generally agreed upon. Various prominent and key sites, both on the outskirts and in the centre of the park, were felt to be the best method in which to generate interest to provide a solid base from which to proceed. This would then lead on to achieving the three main goals of IE projects, revolving around Community, Learning and Business. A note on Land ownership in Woodhouse Moor The role of the community will be discussed later in this report, but it will be a keystone of the on going success of this project. We have been aware from the start that this area of the identied corridor was likely to be the most politically sensitive due to these issues, however this should not be an insurmountable obstacle if approached sensibly and with the weight of existing, successful IE projects behind it. The majority of the site is under the single ownership of Leeds City Council. Whilst this possibly makes the initiation of the project easier, it could also be tagged as a potential stumbling block however should the land owner be unwilling to engage.

The original, numerous, audit sites

A potential site from the original audit (found in Appendix 1)

Planning Implications and Policy

The Woodhouse Moor site is allocated in the Leeds Unitary Development Plan (UDP) and has a number of relevant Policies (N1 and N1A specically) relating to how the City Council see the future of the land. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is the most up to date national planning guidance and is to be a key driver in the delivery of sustainable development. Having contacted Leeds City Council (LCC), we established that the existing Woodhouse Moor allotment site, which lies within the boundaries of the park, currently has a waiting list of 33, dating back as far as 2010. As such it is clear that there is a public demand for growing space and we feel the LEC process is the ideal manner in which to deliver that, not only to those currently interested, but to a wider demographic. The site is located just outside the dened city center of Leeds and contains a number of areas dened as green space in the Leeds Unitary Development Plan (UDP). Such spaces serve a vital amenity function for both the local and wider population. They are described in the UDP as being integral to the fabric of urban areas and the Council, through Development Management, will seek to both protect and enhance green space, ensuring accessibility for those who use it. The NPPF advocates this approach and emphasizes that Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) should seek to retain and provide high quality public open space whilst encouraging their active and continued use. It is therefore concluded that the provision of high quality, sympathetic planting areas within the green space would contribute to the enhancement sought through national and local policies. Whether planning permission for the works would be formally required is another matter however. Part 12 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 gives Local Authorities permitted rights to carry out small, ancillary works without the need for permission. As such, if LCC were to become involved in the project, they would be able to carry out works, such as the erection of buildings and structures, by virtue of these rights. If this is not possible, then the requirement for planning permission will depend on any number of factors, such as the extent of work required; the permanence of any structures; whether signicant earthworks are required and so on. If any of these factors are deemed to constitute development as dened in Section 55 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (the carrying out of building, mining or other operations in, on, over or under land, or the making of any material change in the use of any buildings or other land) then permission would be necessary. If works are carried out without the benet of permission, good practice guidance advises that the LPA should discuss the matter with the relevant party. A retrospective application may be submitted in an attempt to regularize the development. The LPA also have the option consider it not expedient to take any action against the works carried out, subject the an assessment on the severity and impact of the breach of planning control. The easily adaptable quick win sites could be achieved without the need to substantial work and therefore not require planning permission. Engagement with LCC regarding the larger, mid and long term sites however may bring about a mutually agreeable system for implementation, without the need to engage the planning process.

Whilst this information provides a clinical and bureaucratic approach to the need for planning permission, we must not forget the origins of Incredible Edible. IE Todmorden sought to do, rather than sit and wait. Guerrilla planting was undertaken when and where possible with any spare land within the town being used and adapted to accommodate growing. It took actions such as this to show people what can be achieved and to turn heads. Should the founding members of IE have sought to undertake extensive consultation, permissions and involvement with any number of stakeholders, it would be likely that the scheme would now still be bound in red tape and nowhere near as widespread and successful as it has been. We must also provide some context. What is the actual harm caused by the planting of some areas in Woodhouse Moor? In a worst case scenario, the land is simply returned to its former condition. No aspects of this project are irreversible, but the benets are endless. It is hoped that the relevant authorities and community groups would see this perspective and embrace the change that can be made and the betterment of the lives of locals. Role of the Leeds City Council and the Planning Authority The land is owned and managed by Leeds City Council. Therefore the role of the landowners is of a bureaucratic and statutory nature. Leeds City Council see the importance of open space and Victorian parks within the city but do they necessarily want to move away from the traditional planting for the second biggest public park in Leeds? The park is managed by Leeds City Council Parks and Recreation Department. Long term, it will be important for LEC members to develop a partnership with in order to make Woodhouse Moor a key part of the scheme, as the park has the size and potential to become a vegetable hub for the Incredible Edible Leeds scheme. As well as Leeds City Council there are private allotment renters within the park and these people would be a helpful asset to volunteers of the scheme because of the allotment owner knowledge, some of the renters maybe willing to educate volunteers or even help manage the sites within Woodhouse Moor.

Figure 4: Leeds UDP

Incredible Edible Leeds Workshop Event

At the workshop, our groups comprised of parties from numerous backgrounds, such as community charities, ground-workers, academic lecturers, students and Councillors. This provided a number of opinions and viewpoints which gave differing perspectives on what was achievable within our chosen study area. At the Incredible Edible Leeds (IEL) Workshop on the 20th March 2013, the various sites identied in our initial audit were presented to a wider audience for discussion, deliberation and comment. The focus of our original walking survey of Woodhouse Moor was to nd areas suitable for adaptation for the now named Leeds Edible Campus (LEC henceforth) programme. Because of the nature and character of our study area, we were mindful as a group that careful consideration would be required in order to integrate the programme, whilst preventing any conict with what is an established and well used public green space, serving not just the local area, but the wider population of Leeds also. As part of the Workshop group discussion, we listed a mixture of challenges and opportunities which were felt would arise from the implementation of short, medium and long term LEC sites. One of the common themes to arise as a possible constraint was the demographic of the Woodhouse Moor area. It contains a combination of permanent residents, living alongside the more transient student population. The LEC project has the potential to bridge the gap between these parties and help to quash any tensions which may exist between the parties. At the workshop, a local resident voiced concerns that the alignment of the project with the university would do little to encourage the involvement of others. This seemed to be a very personal and long held view, which may not actually reect the outcome of the project. There is also a very active community group, The Friends of Woodhouse Moor, who have a keen and involved interest in what happens within the park.

A number of positives were also identied in the discussions. A large number of the sites are easily adaptable and require very little work to make them suitable for planting. It was felt, whilst walking around the site in our workshop groups, that the project would also add interest to the more mundane areas of the park and if anything, improve its appeal and attraction to the public. Should it be felt that the chosen sites are unsuitable after a period of time, the short and medium terms sites can be quickly and easily returned to their former condition. The area as a whole is easily accessible for all parties, being predominantly at with a number of paths covering the park. This could form the basis of a green route leading between this and other sites within the identied corridor. It was felt in the workshop discussions that the LEC elements in Woodhouse Moor had the real possibility of being a agship for the project as a whole, because of the amount and variety of opportunities within the landscape. If the initial sites identied in this report are successful, the expansion of the project could be wide ranging for the local community. There are a number of residents, schools and businesses who could be heavily involved in changing the mind-set and perception of locally grown produce. The scope for educational opportunities within the sites is discussed elsewhere in this report, but as seen with IE Todmorden, the knock on effect of an engaged community will pay dividends and may even result in new careers and opportunities for the next generation. As an example, there are a number of restaurants, cafes and takeaways along Woodhouse Lane who could sponsor planting beds and utilise some of the resulting produce to promote the scheme. The workshop provided a number of points for further consideration and aided clarication on choosing the best methods for the phasing of our sites . One major concern regarding the nature of the workshop was the potential over thinking of the process. From our time spent with the founders of IE Todmorden, the clarity of their conviction came from actions rather than prolonged procrastination. As we were told at the outset, in many cases it is better to seek forgiveness, than ask for permission. With that in mind, our following recommendations seek to reect that spirit, in creating a sustainable future for the area.

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Quick Win Planting Locations

1
The following locations are those chosen as quick win sites for Leeds Edible Campus, following the initial audit, research of planning policy and the feedback provided by the Incredible Edible Leeds Workshop Event.

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Central Wooded Circle

This site is in the middle of the main park in Woodhouse Moor and is a perfect location to start the Leeds Edible Campus scheme. As a central location in the park, joining several paths from various directions and acting as a central link, this site has the highest of all footfall of all the sites originally audited in the park, with hundreds of students and other residents passing everyday, heading towards Leeds University, Leeds Metropolitan University or towards town, and back home again. Prior to future developments, this will be the rst or last LEC site in the carrot, depending on direction of travel. As it stands, this site has numerous wildowers growing free and some larger planted bushes, with a light tree canopy coverage. Suggested Ideas for this Site The central circle offers much opportunity to bring nature, planting and food close to a important thoroughfare, relaxing and meeting point, if done correctly. Remembering that this location is initially to be a quick win site, this report makes the following suggestions for this site; Planting in the pre-existing beds, which shows the soil is at a capable level of nutrition to grow. This site has ample pre-existing soil beds, and as such the addition of new planters is not required. Planting of vegetables which require low levels of sunlight, such as Lettuce, Peas, Beans or Radishes. This is due to the areas fairly high amount of tree canopy coverage. Ensure seeds and soil is protected through sign fronts, as this is a busy walking area.

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Surrounding the Queen Victoria Memorial

This site is adjacent to the Memorial of Queen Victoria and as such is home to a large ower bed. Presently, and traditionally, this bed is lled with spring/summer bloom owers, and acts as a impressive front to the park. Of the three Quick Win locations chosen from the initial audit, this site is closest to local businesses in the surrounding area to Woodhouse Moor, being close to several fast food shops and a large pub. As such, this site is a pioneer in getting local business involved, a key aspect to community growing, as learnt from Incredible Edible Todmorden. Suggested Ideas for this Site Coming into Woodhouse Moor from the main street, Woodhouse Lane, this entrance offers a beautiful set piece of many summer/spring blooming owers set in place by Leeds Council. While it is not the desire of this report to destroy beautiful areas of Woodhouse Moor, the Incredible Edible ethos dislikes the placement of blooming owers over the placement of practical vegetables. This leads to this site being a tentative location, that must be handled appropriately. This report advises the following at this site; A mixture of both blooming owers and vegetables, to maintain the current character of the area. The current entrance will be kept similar, while further back vegetables will take precedence. Seen as this site has such an abundance of ground soil, no constructed planters are necessary. Clear signs and labelling to ensure that owers are not mistaken and picked as vegetables.

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The Duke of Wellington Statue

Located on the boundary of Leeds University, this site is home to Woodhouse Moors Duke of Wellington Statue. Currently at a level of slight disrepair and damage, the area is in need of slight infrastructure management, which would perfectly t into turning this site into a valuable LEC corridor location. Currently the statue is surrounded by multiple show owers in a planting bed and numerous ad hoc dirt paths, trodden in by students. Suggested Ideas for this Site As a main entrance to the park, this site offers a great opportunity to get people moving through the park invested into the idea, and welcome them to a newly edible Woodhouse Moor. Once again remembering that this site is currently thought of as a quick win site, this report suggests several developments for this site; Planting around the statue, inside the circular area, with stone steps to make the large inner area accessible to planters and pickers. While this area does have abundant green space, the addition of constructed green planters at this site would help educate and capture the attention of the passing foot trafc. As a primary entrance to Woodhouse Moor, being the main entrance for both Leeds Metropolitan University students and University of Leeds students heading into town or Headingly, this site sees large footfall of people quickly moving. As such the planted vegetables at this site need to be ideally both perennial and attractive to not become damaged and to make people stop and appreciate them. Below is an example of an attractive perennial garden.

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Future Sites

In addition to the initial sites outlined previously, the scope and magnitude of Woodhouse More provides further exiting opportunities to expand upon, if given greater time and funding. It is important to consider future expansion sites at this early level, so as to ensure expansion is possible and smooth in the future. This section of the report explores two of the most viable examples of future expansion of the Incredible Edible ethos in the Woodhouse Moor area.

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Northern Entrance and Joining Amenities

Located at the northern tip of the park, this entrance potentially represents a vital location for the future of LEC and its possible expansion into the Headingly area. This entrance is close to several shops, the parks skate park, a church and a bus stop. As with the quick win site located by the statue of Queen Victoria, this site represents a chance to get the business side of the community engaged in the LEC. However, this site also potentially links to the wider community as well, including; people whom use the skate park, local shops, church and the nearby bus stop. By getting all these amenities and extensions involved, it is hoped that eventually it will help spread the message that LEC is trying to convey, due to the high number of people coming and going from the location. The location is fairly large, covering a variety of areas, including park, main road and shops. Currently the majority of the location has little more then a few articially planted blooming owers, but has potential due to several surrounding medium sized green open spaces, and near by smaller scale linking green spaces.
From left to right; The bus stop at the northern exit of Woodhouse Moor; an example of a pre-existing incredible Edible bus stop; a shop front near the northern exit; examples of planters already in Leeds

1
Potential Future Developments to the Site As has been stressed to this point, it is hoped that future development at this site will lead to a spreading of the campus corridor northwards, towards Headingly. By placing LEC plants and signs around this busy area, it is hoped the ideology of Incredible Edible will spread. Several key suggestions by this report follow; By turning the current bus stop near the north end of the park into a Incredible Edible bus stop (both seen below), many people who access this vital service will learn and benet from LEC. By networking and gaining partnerships with local shops, it is hoped that shop fronts in the immediate area could become covered in planting beds with free vegetables in. Planting beds already exist on some shops near the site, yet many are poorly maintained with only blooming owers in. To carry on the approach taken of getting the project out there, as well as ground planting sites around the statue of Peel, constructed planting beds around the bus stop and streets to continue to rise awareness.

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Central Concrete Ring

Currently a wide open space, this site is somewhat unique in Woodhouse Park as being the only large concreted open space (bar the parks numerous sports facilities). Of the six tree lined main paths running through Woodhouse Moor which act as main transport routes, two meet at this point. Five of the six meet at the close circle to the south east (which itself has been identied as a quick win site). This makes the circle one of the highest footfall locations in the park. Combined with being the closest accessible point for nearby housing, the culminated effect of all these effects is a great place to form a central experience to the Woodhouse Moor section of LEC. The concrete ring area has been used for numerous events over the parks life, such as public hangings and markets. Ringed by trees, the actual circle has no greenery within it, or any form of planted life. The site is a prime location for a longer term development, following the hopeful success of the quick win sites previously allocated. Potential Future Developments to the Site While not a green space, this large open space could still potentially be a very useful site for the LEC project. The vision of this report is to eventually produce a large, raised, round planting bed, divided by paths for access to each planting segment on this site. Acting as a central hub, this large open space with the large circle planter will one day be a community hub and base for the Woodhouse Moor, or potentially a larger area, for LEC.

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How the large circle planter could possibly be positioned. The paths bisecting each section are clearly visible, separating and making accessible the vegetables within.

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The Local Community; Learning and Opportunities with LEC

Engagement and interest in the LEC scheme will be the key component in its success. Areas such as IE Todmorden have thrived because of the attitude and approach of the public in making sustainable growing part of their day to day lives. The adoption of, and responsibility for the planting areas seems to be at the heart of Todmordens approach and it is hoped that the people of Leeds can have the same enthusiasm, whether it be students living in the area or longer term residents. IE Todmorden felt that the traditional skills from growing to cooking had been lost in modern day society. For LEC to progress, training and education will be vital, not only in schools for the next generation, but for existing community groups, householders, students and stakeholders. The amount of equipment necessary for home planting and growing is relatively modest and can now be bought at many high street stores. Planting can be carried out in items as basic as a wooden crate or tractor tyre lled with soil. As such the training needs of the LEC volunteers will initially need to be focussed on what can be grown in our designated areas, how that produce needs to be tended and the best times to grow/pick a plant. Each planting area will contain information on the produce within it and provide an educational context for children. This will make the scheme accessible to all who come across it, especially in an area like Woodhouse Moor, with such a large, diverse and changing community. The aim will be to assist local schools in the development of a shared philosophy on food. Additionally the project is aiming to demonstrate how LEC can make a positive contribution to the health and physical wellbeing and education of its students, staff, parents and members of the local community. Once key local parties are involved, the is to share the learning experience on food issues with other schools and community groups further aeld. Interaction with school catering staff and seeking their involvement in development can also help to drive the initiative forwards. It would be hoped that in time, LEC can sustain apprenticeships and other related employment in association with the scheme.

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In time, we should seek to provide a denitive curriculum that incorporates messages about nutrition, food hygiene and sustainable and ethical food production. This curriculum is to be complemented and reinforced by practical hands-on food education like cooking and grown projects and farm links with in the local community. This will help develop an understanding of the relationship between a healthy diet and physical activity for their short and long-term wellbeing and health and create opportunities for people to eat and cook with vegetables that they have grown themselves. Local markets and food festivals in the area would be ideal for this. LEC could hold a Field to Plate day either within the centre of the park or on the Rampart Road sites, where local people, with the help of nearby cafs or restaurateurs can see the results of their labours and eat dishes made of the produce. This re-engagement with the origins of food, rather than the over reliance on mass produced convenience food, will give people the skills and information they need to take control of their lives, feed themselves well and prepare our younger generations for the future. There may be no better time in which to implement such a training and education programme, in light of recent national food related problems and the economic climate. Woodhouse Moor is the ideal location in which to provide educational events, due to the tourist footfall it receives throughout the year. The initial task however, will be to engage the public, either through an initial meeting or by way of guerrilla planting to generate interest. The IEL Workshop proved that there are already a number of willing parties with a background in this eld, who can assist in facilitating the launch of the project.

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Conclusion
The sites identied in this report give a clear and structured approach to the implementation of LEC in Woodhouse Moor. The three quick win sites would be planted as a kick start to the project and the IEL Workshop proved that there are more than enough willing and able parties to make this happen. It is hoped that this will be the beginning of a phased and comprehensive integration of the project, with the medium and long terms sites coming in to action and leading on to wide ranging community involvement. Apathy is not an option and direct action is the way forward. The guerrilla planting of some small areas may initially cause an adverse reaction from some, but with the strength of the IE philosophy it is hoped that many will be convinced that the benets outweigh any small negatives or reservations. We have been wary not to compromise the use of the park as a whole and we are condent that the chosen sites achieve a respectful and appropriate balance. If anything, the chosen sites will add to the experience of visiting Woodhouse Moor and will bring people in to the area from further aeld. This can only help the area and create a sustainable local economy for people and businesses. It may in the longer term also be able to support related employment, as has been shown with IE Todmorden.

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Initially, funding may be an issue. Generosity from local people and retailers will be required to make these modest ,initial sites feasible. As the project grows and becomes more successful, greater exposure will hopefully lead to greater investment from different sectors. As mentioned earlier in the report, sponsorship of planting areas from local restaurants and shops could be the key at this early stage. Whilst there are challenges, the long terms benets of the project must be kept at the forefront of this implementation stage. It would be remiss to ignore the constraints of the area, but through dialogue, learning and doing, these can be overcome. It is time to stop talking and start doing. LEC is truly a community led project, working from the bottom up, rather than simply waiting for change to happen. Recent scandals regarding food production and the over-reliance on multinational companies vin the UK mean that there is no better time for communities to take control of their futures.

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Bibliography

Friends of Woodhouse Moor. (2009). Map and About. Available: http://woodhousemooronline.com/?page_id=2. Last accessed 19th May 2013. Leeds City Council. (2012). Local Development Framework. Available: http://www.leeds.gov.uk/counciPages/Introduction%20to%20Local-Development-Framework-(LDF)-.aspx. Last accessed 19th May 2013. Leeds City Council. (2006). Unitary Development Plan. Available: http://www.leeds.gov.uk/docs/FPI_UDP_001%20Volumen%201%20Written%20Statement.pdf. Last accessed 19th May 2013. Incredible Edible Todmorden Unlimited. (2013). Incredible Edible Todmorden . Available: http://www.incredible-edibletodmorden.co.uk/. Last accessed 19th May 2013.

Appendix: Initial audit

Potential Site
1 - Monument 2 - Belt of land adjacent to Economics Building 3 - Junction of pathways 4 - Land adjacent to Bowling Green 5 - Seating area 6 - Wooden climbing frame 7 - Open concrete space 8 - Woodhouse Lane 9 - Land at Peel Statue 10 - Woodhouse Lane bus stop

Current Status
Existing ower beds around base of statue Open grassed land, no existing planting Open land Existing planting beds laid out Existing landscaping with raised beds Appears unused and covered with grafti. Predominantly unused, except for occasional events and concerts Grass verge, planted with daffodils. Divided areas of grassed land, unplanted Existing hard surfacing, pavement and bus shelters

Potential
Existing plants could be easily replaced with vegetables Hanging boxes could be added along fence and beds created on grass Possible raised beds and planters from tyres or railway sleepers Plant veg in existing beds, is in close proximity to bowling green however Use existing infrastructure as growing areas Possibility for climbing plants/vegetables High potential for hub area, raised beds and possible IE events Veg beds interspersed with existing planting Possible collaboration with nearby Church for planting areas Would require more extensive input, but shelters and surrounding area could be made edible Long term aim, close residences. Opportunity for large scale planting or IE events/markets

11 - Playground + Rampart Road Land

Equipped play area surrounded by open land, occasionally used for events or parking