Food growing project: a great activity for schools, community groups or even a group of local restaurants wanting to grow their own produce.
Rain garden: can ease flooding and erosion and provide a wildlife habitat. It’s an environmentally friendly and attractive way to slow down the process of rainwater runoff and filtering out pollutants.
Temporary market-place: mobile market stalls could be used by community members to sell local produce and crafts.
Solar farm: contributing to combating climate change this can provide energy and income for a community. The spaces between the panels can be planted with wildflowers.
Wildflower meadows: a great way to provide habitats for wildlife in urban locations. It improves the appearance of vacant land with very little outlay or impact on the site.
Performance space: could potentially be landscaped for temporary use for theatre groups or outdoor community events.
Event space: for temporary or pop up community events such as a re-makery or bike maintenance workshops, book and toy swaps, or a local services road show.
Outdoor gym: This can encourage physical fitness for community members of all ages. Equipment can be made from natural materials to create less impact on the site.
A green gym: offers the opportunity to enjoy outdoor physical activity whilst learning about environmental conservation and improving the local environment.
Natural play area: for children’s use encouraging physical activity, outdoor learning and social space. Using natural materials such as timber logs, willow arches and grassy mounds is relatively inexpensive and easy to look after.
Community garden: shared by community members with a committee that takes on responsibility for managing the garden, how it’s secured and how members access it. Members maintain a plot or container, usually smaller than an allotment, to grow whatever they like. It’s also an idea to have somewhere secure to store shared tools.
Accessing land advice for community groups
Community Growing Resource Pack Wales
Collaborative working and community led design
Hastings Pier - Great example of community shares
Cornish town plans to restore its energy self-sufficiency by 2020 - Guardian