Mudchute Park and Farm, London
London, United Kingdom · Operator: The Mudchute Association（登録慈善団体）
Overview
A 13-hectare (32-acre) urban farm and park in Cubitt Town on the Isle of Dogs, Tower Hamlets, east London. The site had been a dumping ground for dock excavation spoil since the 1860s; when the Port of London Authority moved to transfer it for housing in the early 1970s, the Association of Island Communities ran a successful campaign to keep it as public open space, and the farm was established in 1977.
Citizen participation
Open to the public as a park, with farm animals, allotment plots and education work for schools and local residents, managed by a locally-formed charity.
Operating model
The Mudchute Association, a registered charity, leases the land from Tower Hamlets Borough Council and runs the site on a non-profit basis funded by donations, grants and plot fees; because the land is council-owned, continuity depends on the lease.
Impact
A case where a residents' campaign converted land earmarked for housing into publicly held farmland, sustained for nearly half a century at a scale described locally as Europe's largest urban farm. The land, however, is owned by Tower Hamlets Council and the association holds it as a tenant, so long-term security of tenure is not institutionally guaranteed.
Crops
- vegetables
- allotment produce
Scale
130,000 m² — 13ヘクタール（32エーカー）。自治体が「ヨーロッパ最大の都市農場」と説明する規模。市民農園区画を含む。
Sources（1）
This entry is compiled from the public sources, official sites and research below.
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