Acorn Case Study: Mabley Green

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BACKGROUND

Mabley Green is an eleven hectare parkland in the London Borough of Hackney surrounded by resident housing and the busy A12, but it is also just a couple of streets away from the serenity of Lee Valley Regional Park.

woodland gem’. Damian Rafferty, Chairman of the Mabley Green Users Group, says, ‘it’s a failing public space and sticking football pitches on there when we have lots already is not really good enough’.

The vast open space currently houses eight football pitches, including an all-weather football pitch, but there are exciting plans to turn the ‘vast, empty, boring space’ into the world’s largest edible woodland with fruit and nut trees, herbs and shrubs.

FUNDING

The football pitches were relocated from East Marsh when it was paved over to create an Olympic coach park, with a promise by Hackney Council who own the site to move these back after the Games, unfortunately four of the pitches were retained without community consultation.

The Mabley Green Users Group has been meeting over recent years partly fighting the unwanted sports pitches, but also to advocate for an edible park. The group is composed of 4 committee members, around 20 volunteers, and have around 450 people on their mailing list. The volunteers mostly do gardening and clean up work and usually meet at least once a month. Damian Rafferty says their group is motivated to get involved to ‘make this area more diverse naturally and positively engaged socially’.

In response to this issue the Mabley Green Users Group was formed, the group are campaigning to replace the pitches with what could be a new ‘national

In 2008, £100K was put aside to develop Mabley Green and its users group raises additional funds for community activities from various award bodies.

VOLUNTEERING


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Acorn Case Study: Mabley Green by Groundwork London - Issuu