Community Garden Consultation 2021

About the Community Garden

The 2016 Dollar Futures 5-year Community Action Plan, which was based on extensive consultation, identified a community gardening scheme as desirable in Dollar.

There is an opportunity for us to realise this ambition; in their current application for planning permission, Harviestoun Estate propose to provide a field for an orchard and community use, this site is 6.2-hectare to the west of the railway embankment, south of Newfield.

Dollar Community Development Trust has received support from Harviestoun Estate to explore how this proposal might be progressed, and we have secured a grant from Green Action Trust to carry out a feasibility study.

The Trust has already done some additional research, including several visits to other gardening schemes. We see the potential benefits of a community gardening space in Dollar as being:

A social space for people to meet and relax.
An opportunity to learn new gardening and maintenance skills.
An area for exploration and play.
An area where people can help improve their health and well-being through being involved in the activities within the garden.
An area where community social events can take place.
An opportunity for people to grow, sell, and purchase local produce.
An area that can attract visitors who will potentially spend time and money in Dollar, therefore supporting local businesses.

If we get sufficient community support to progress this idea, we envisage it being an ambitious five-year project to get it up and running. It is important to us to get it right, so the feasibility study is allowing us to produce a draft garden design, gather feedback from the community, and produce a detailed Business Plan to ensure we are confident the garden will be sustainable long-term.

This survey is part of the feasibility study and aims to assess the level of community support for the garden, the level of potential volunteer help, and to stimulate ideas that would help to produce a community garden we can all be proud of. Our aim is for the garden to be an enhancement to the community facilities in Dollar and would ensure that produce/plant sales would not impact existing Dollar businesses.

As part of the consultation process, we are also running a couple of online events on Tuesday 23rd February - this is an opportunity to meet the designers and ask questions. If you would rather attend this event before completing this survey, please book your place on our website: www.dollarcdt.com/community-garden

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Proposed location of the community garden (in orange)

community garden location - orange outline

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* 1. In principle, do you support the idea of having a community garden in Dollar?

Yes

Don't know

Please explain your answer if necessary

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The image below shows the proposed concept garden design which incorporates initial thinking on what could be the layout of the garden. If you would like to see this layout in more detail, as well as some additional images of what the garden could look like, before answering the following questions, please see our website: www.dollarcdt.com/community-garden

Concept design - for more detail see our website

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* 2. Do you like the proposed layout?

Yes

Don't know

Please explain your answer

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* 3. Are there any aspects of it you don't like?

Yes

Please explain your answer

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* 4. What do you think are the most important elements of a community garden in Dollar? Please tick all that apply.

Social areas to meet people to sit in and relax

Area to hold community events

A variety of different themed garden areas

Child story telling / learning area

Other child / other age group areas

Sensory garden area

Wild flower areas

Bee hives

Hens

Polytunnel areas for propagating plants and growing more exotic plants

Raised beds to allow people to grow their own vegetables

Wetland area, to show diverse plants and pond life

Larger vegetable growing area (source of garden income), to allow the garden to be self-funding

Orchard area for community growing and a source of garden income

Experimental growing area to try new crops / growing methods

Buildings area, to allow for facilities for volunteers and product dry storage

Solar panels to allow the garden to generate its own power

Composting area

Toilets (eco-friendly)

Area for outdoor exercise classes

Other (please specify)

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* 5. The community garden also offers many educational opportunities. Do you have an interest in any of the following areas? (tick all that apply)

Environmental/sustainability

Gardening skills

Beekeeping

Organic growing

Fruit growing – orchard/tree management

None of the above

Other (please specify)

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* 6. Other community gardens use their spaces to hold community events. What events do you think we could hold at a community garden in Dollar?

Garden showcases - highlighting different parts of the growing season

Plant Sales

Social events - e.g. dances using the community marquee

Community BBQs

Open Days

Workshops

Wellbeing activities e.g. yoga

None - the garden should not be used for community events

Other (please specify)

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* 7. One idea is that other local community groups could look after small areas of the garden. If you are involved in a local group, what is your view on this?

I don’t agree that local groups should help with looking after sections of the garden

I support the principle of local groups looking after a specific area of the garden

I am not involved in a local group so do not wish to comment

Please indicate which group/s you think could help

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* 8. We want the community garden to be accessible to all. This would mean ensuring that we have disabled access to and around the garden. Locals will be encouraged to walk and cycle to the garden, but we will also look at nearby parking for visitors and those with accessibility requirements (avoiding on-street parking and extra traffic around Lovers Loan).

Do you have suggestions on how we might overcome issues around parking for visitors and those with accessibility needs?

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* 9. The garden is primarily a community facility, but we expect it may also attract visitors to Dollar. Do you think the garden should be open to all?

Yes

No - I feel the garden should be kept primarily for Dollar residents

Don't know

Please explain your answer if necessary

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* 10. When thinking about our proposed garden design and use, do you think we've missed anything? If so, please let us know here...

No, it looks like you've covered everything

Yes

If yes, please explain