Plans to create growing space for enough fruit and vegetables to free a third of Dundee have been tabled.
A proposal to go before Dundee City Council’s recovery sub-committee next week could see more allotment and community garden spaces introduced across the city.
More than 1,500 hectares of land has been identified in a move which has been widely praised by green-fingered enthusiasts.
The land is dotted around the city and could include the transformation of overgrown communal green space at the back of tenement buildings.
Open sites, such as the west of Caird Park, have also been pinpointed.
The development could help cut the waiting list of more than 100 people wanting an allotment space.
Linda Adams, secretary of Stirling Park Allotments near the Law said: “I think it’s a great idea. Sometimes it takes a couple of years to get an allotment so if there’s more space then that will be great.”
The timing is right, Linda said, as demand for plots has increased this year, during the global health crisis.
“There’s always people looking for allotment space, especially now because of coronavirus and people wanting something to do. There’s been more people asking about it.
“Everybody at our allotment has been saying it’s a lifeline during lockdown as it gives us a reason to be out and gives us something to do.
“Sometimes it is hard work but you get a lot of benefits out of it.”
The 66-year old said allotments can make children more open to a healthier diet.
“If kids see the vegetables growing they might be more interested to eat them at least. If they are involved in the growth from seed to vegetable, they may be more open to trying it.”
Council leader John Alexander, who will chair the recovery sub-committee on August 10, said: “Dundee is blessed with a considerable number of popular and well-tended allotments, both council managed and privately leased.
“The consistently long waiting lists also show there is a demand for land within the city to grow fruit and vegetables and this strategy not only identifies how and where that capacity could be increased but the health benefits of doing so.”
Lynsey Penny, project coordinator at the community fridge on Perth Road, said more fresh fruit and vegetables will always be welcome.
She said: “Our project is about climate change so we would be encouraged about even more measures that would help people get outside and grow their own food.
“I think everyone who grows ends up with the gluts of certain things so it is always good to donate those to the many food banks and projects across the city.”
