Urban Farm DB
Research catalogue
Database research record2025·United Kingdom (Durham)

Claiming space

Kirsty Lohman, Ruth Pearce

Community Development Journal

Urban Farm DB summary

This article describes a community garden in Durham, United Kingdom, maintained by volunteers working to retain common access to green space. The garden is located on a disused bowling green, against a backdrop of a struggle over land, ownership, and community use. The council had reportedly failed to maintain the land for many years, and much of the surrounding area is owned by Durham University. The community association aims to obtain control of the land through an adverse possession claim to prevent it from being sold off by the council.