Welsh Government funding boost for community land use in Wales
The new funding has been hailed as a major boost for community
green space projects in Wales, giving them free access to receive
much-needed support and advice around issues such as finding land,
leases and planning permissions. The two-year grant demonstrates
the Welsh Government’s commitment to driving up the quality of
local green space and supporting communities to identify and take
control of the green spaces around them.
This project will be delivered by the Community Land
Advisory Service in Wales (CLAS Cymru), a
well-established initiative which uses in-house specialist
experience and knowledge to advise community gardening and farming
projects on all aspects of land and planning queries. CLAS Cymru
has been operating in Wales for five years, thanks to
groundbreaking funding from the Big Lottery Fund in 2013.
The dedicated CLAS Cymru project team will receive support from
Social
Farms & Gardens staff members in Wales to meet a
target of helping at least 50 community groups per year with their
land and planning needs. Out of these, 10 projects per year will be
awarded community management certificates. These projects will also
be showcased and celebrated at an annual event.
CLAS Cymru Coordinator Lucie Taylor, said she was delighted at the
new grant: “Thanks to the Welsh Government funding, we will be
able to continue expanding on the achievements of CLAS Cymru over
the past five years. It means that vital support will be in place
for everyone involved in green spaces, ensuring that more land in
Wales will be used for the benefit of local communities, which can
have an enormous impact on health and wellbeing.”
If you need any land or planning advice for your community green
space project, contact: Lucie Taylor, CLAS Cymru Coordinator –
lucie@communitylandadvice.org.uk
02921960966 or Gary Mitchell, SF&G Wales
Manager – Gary@farmgarden.org.uk
To learn more about community gardens, why they matter to Wales
and find inspiring examples, check out our ‘Invest
in Nature Cymru – Community Gardens’ webpage.