Events
RHS Forum 2006
What future for urban gardens: Eden or Extinction?
Individual aspects
Background to the debate
Biography notes
The forum, What future for urban gardens: Eden or Extinction?, saw specialists and well-known personalities exploring the need for more affordable housing, the Government’s new housing targets and the impact that classing gardens as ‘brownfield’ sites, and consequential building on this land, is having on urban gardens.A string of speakers at the RHS Forum attacked the Government, greedy housing developers and public apathy condemning the emergence of ‘Noddy houses’ with ‘pixie gardens’.
Chaired by regular BBC2 Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, the panel and the audience discussed the threat of housing development to the urban garden and the role this green space plays in modern life.
Areas tackled included the Government’s new housing targets and the impact that classing gardens as ‘brownfield’ sites is having on urban gardens.
Councillor Paul D Bettison, leader of Bracknell Forest Unitary Authority and Chairman, of the Environment Board asked ‘what could be more fundamental to anyone’s well-being than the roof over their head?’.
Environmental planner and landscape architect Jason Prior gave an insight into the planning process.
Dr Ken Thompson, senior researcher at the University of Sheffield and gardening and wildlife enthusiast discussed the necessity of urban gardens and their importance for both humans and wildlife.
Chair of the Society of Garden Designers, Andrew Fisher Tomlin highlighted the type of space garden designers have to contend with and the disappearance of front gardens due to paving over for car parking.
TV presenter Lowri Turner, who lives in urban London, discussed the importance of her garden for her and her family.
They were joined by Greg Clark, Tory MP for Tunbridge Wells, who reported on delayed progress of his Protection of Private Gardens Bill, which aims to stop so-called ‘garden grabbing’ by developers.
At the end of a lively two-hour debate, the audience was asked to vote on a three separate issues.
The first vote on whether the law citing gardens as brownfield should be revoked, was, all bar two votes, a unanimous 'yes'.
The second question of whether the allocation of gardens should be legally enforceable was a much closer affair, with an approximate 60/40 percent split against the proposal.
In the third vote the audience was asked, “If only one option were available should future city dwellers be allocated private garden space of communal green space?” The majority voted for private gardens.
Individual aspects
Communal gardens (100KB)
Education on the subject (192KB)
Disappearing front gardens (181KB)
Government policy & action (107KB)
Green Belt use (169KB)
Grow your own revival (28KB)
Housing developers (269KB)
Protection of Private Gardens (Housing Development) Bill (111KB)
Regional variations (102KB)
Role of garden designers (189KB)
Transient society (lifestyle changes) (317KB)
Wildlife gardens (97KB)
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Background
An invited audience from the worlds of amateur and professional horticulture, garden design, architecture, local government, construction engineers, environmental and green space management, and commentators from many fields joined in the forum.
The Government has pledged to boost the supply of affordable homes over the next decade in response to an independent review of housing supply, commissioned by the government in 2003, which showed more people were being locked out of the property market. Tory MP Greg Clark’s proposed Protection of Private Gardens (Housing Development) Bill, which is expected to be debated on 20 October, aims to give gardens better protection from developers and stop private gardens being classified as 'brownfield' sites, which makes them easier to build on. Mr Clark believes that local authorities have little power to prevent development as there is a 'domino effect' with neighbours selling properties to prevent themselves being surrounded by apartment blocks. He feels that as gardens are hidden from view they go unnoticed so “little by little we are losing precious green spaces throughout the country”.
Protection of Private Gardens (Housing Development) Bill update (111KB)
Ian Hodgson, Editor of the RHS magazine, The Garden, which hosted the forum, said: “As well as benefits to lifestyle such as exercise, being outside and simply escaping from the stresses of city life, gardens are a haven for wildlife. With a number of garden plots being sold off to building developers and front gardens disappearing to the car, the threat to the urban garden is a matter of urgent concern.”
Biography notes
Moderator - Kirsty Wark
In the past few years, Kirsty has presented Upfront, BBC Scotland's weekly political programme and chaired the monthly studio debate, Axiom. She also introduces Edinburgh Nights - BBC2's coverage of the Edinburgh International Festival - and is a regular presenter with One Foot In The Past. Kirsty joined BBC2's Newsnight in October 1993, which she regularly presents.
In 1997, she won the BAFTA Scotland, Best Television Presenter Award.
The BBC's Rough Justice programme signed Kirsty as presenter in February 1998.
Speakers
Councillor Paul D Bettison
Paul is active within the LGA, and is firmly committed to local government representation at the highest level. From 2000 to 2002 he was Chairman of the LGA’s Housing Executive and oversaw the introduction of many innovations in Bracknell Forest’s housing service. Paul believes fervently in local authorities’ power of community wellbeing and asks ‘what could be more fundamental to anyone’s wellbeing than the roof over their head?’ From 2002-2004 he chaired the LGA’s Rural Commission and Executive, and was successful in persuading DEFRA that local government can play a key role in the delivery of the rural agenda in the post-Haskins era. He currently chairs the LGA Environment Board and also sits on the LGA Executive. Paul is also the Local Government Association e-Government Champion and the Conservative Party’s National spokesman on ICT matters. He has been on the Board of Directgov, Government Connect, and of the National Opportunity Card since 2005.
Located in the heart of the UK’s ‘silicon valley’ Paul’s authority of Bracknell Forest is seen as the leading UK council in the area of electronic service delivery, with Bracknell Forest on-line, BF Net, a thriving CRM roll-out, and the world’s first multi-application smartcard. A long list of awards is testimony to his council’s commitment to e-Government.
A firm believer in self-help for local government, Paul spent 18 months as a peer mentor to the Leader of the Conservative Group of Hackney LBC, and has performed the same task for the Leader of Walsall MBC for the past five years. More recently, Paul has worked with Swindon Borough Council; Kingston upon Hull, North East Lincs Council, Plymouth Borough Council and Trafford MBC. He is the National Lead Conservative Member Peer at the Improvement & Development Agency (IDeA).
Andrew Fisher Tomlin
Andrew is Chairman of the Society of Garden Designers. He is a visiting lecturer at the Victoria & Albert Museum, The English Gardening School, Oxford Brookes University, the University of Reading and The Inchbald School of Design.
After working in the financial services sector for 10 years, Andrew enrolled on the HND in horticulture at Askham Bryan College in Yorkshire. Halfway through the course, he decided his interest and enjoyment was focused towards design.
After the HND, he chose to continue studying by undertaking a BSc in landscape management and design. Having achieved a first in the course, he launched his own private practice in London in 1996.
Jason Prior
Jason is the Regional Vice President of EDAW Europe. He is an urban designer, landscape architect and environmental planner specialising in leading multi-disciplinary teams and providing integrated, broad-based solutions for a variety of complex design and planning projects. His experience includes design and implementation of major landscape, urban design and regeneration projects.
Jason was one of the key consultants responsible for the development framework, detailed masterplan and public realm strategy for Manchester City Centre following the 1996 bombing. Other work includes the recent launch of Piccadilly Gardens (the foremost green space within Manchester’s centre), the masterplan for Eastlands SportCity (the stadium for the 2002 Commonwealth Games), Kings Cross Regeneration (providing masterplanning advice to the developers Argent St George), and the Royal Docks (providing the development framework for a new 2,000 unit mixed-use community and high tech commercial office space).
He currently serves as Commissioner for CABE and is leading the Lea Valley Regeneration and Olympic Games Masterplan for the London Development Agency and London 2012.
Ken Thompson
Ken Thompson is a senior researcher at the University of Sheffield, with over 25 years’ research experience.
Ken completed a PhD in ecology at the University of Sheffield in 1977, followed by a temporary lectureship at the University of Durham (standing in for David Bellamy) and eleven years at Plymouth Polytechnic (now University of Plymouth). He returned to Sheffield University in 1990 where he still works
In the past five to 10 years, Ken has become increasingly interested in the ecology of gardens and promotion of science to the general public; the Biodiversity in Urban Gardens in Sheffield (BUGS) project, which looked at the significance of urban gardens as habitats for ‘natural’ biodiversity, and the efficacy of some simple ‘creative conservation’ measures in enhancing that biodiversity, was run by Ken and three colleagues.
Lowri Turner
Lowri Turner is a British television presenter. She has presented the shows Looking Good, Housecall, Would Like To Meet and DIY SOS. She has also written a number of books including two novels entitled Stripped Bare and Switchcraft.
In 2004 Lowri took part in the reality TV show, Celebrity Fit Club and is currently a regular panelist on the Five show, The Wright Stuff.
Lowri grew up in London where her father managed to grow a variety of fruit and vegetables in a very small garden. She has a small patch of paving and gravel at the back of her house which she is hoping to transform next year into a high tech urban oasis of neon lights and water rills.