[Community_garden] Update on survival of Manor Garden Allotments

[Sharon Gordon]

>From "Carole Shorney" <caroleshorney at hotmail.com>


http://www.lifeisland.org/
I had a look on their website yesterday (Sunday) morning, emailed for more
information and they have very kindly sent this.  Could you please forward
to as many people as possible, especially if you have contacts in the area
involved, perhaps!
Carole  Shorney
SE Essex Organic Gardeners
Hockley, Essex


Hello Carole,

The Judicial Review was about preventing eviction before relocation. We have
been advised that there is no legal route to fight to stay where we are but
that we could delay eviction and secure our future through Judicial Review.

On Tuesday night Waltham Forest Council gave the London Development Agency
(LDA) planning permission for a relocation site for us in Leyton. The LDA
will have that site ready to be used as allotments by the end of September.

On Wednseday we negotiated with the LDA to remain where we are until 23rd
September, the end of the growing season. This means we have longer to
continue to make our case with the public and politicians to remain but if
we end up having to move we have somewhere guaranteed to go.

It was very interesting during the negotiations to realise how much pressure
they are feeling from our media campaign. The negotiations continued on
through Thursday morning outside Court with seven lawyers present. Two
Barristers and three solicitors plus the Director of Development, Gareth
Blacker and his sidekick, Andrew Gaskell, on their side, our QC, Barrister
and solicitor and the Chair of Manor Gardening Society, John Matheson on our
side.

We will be increasing our efforts to campaign to stay. We have three film
crews from ITV, Channel 4 and BBC coming to the allotments this week. On
Thursday night at 6.15pm we will be gathering outside the ITV Studios, South
Bank, SE1 for the arrival of the Mayor. If there are enough of us he will
have to run the gauntlet to get through us to the studio for 'The London
Debate' where an audience get to question him live on London issues. Three
of us will also be in the audience. ITV 'Tonight with Trevor MacDonald' plan
to film us outside.

It would be great if you or any allotment collegues or sympathetic friends
could join us outside. Please pass on the message.

Thank you for contacting us and for your support.