Wherever you're based, finding land and getting the right planning permissions and consent is an important first step. We've got some tips and resources to get you started.
Get some help from our expert advisors (Wales and Scotland)
Our Community Land Advisory Service (CLAS) can help you find and manage land in Wales and Scotland. CLAS is a one-to-one specialist advice service tailored to your community project. If you're based elsewhere in the UK, you might find the following general advice helpful.
Plan your project
Before you start, think about what you want your community project to look like. There are many different types of community green space projects, from community gardens and wildlife areas to therapeutic gardens or orchards. Projects can also take the shape of Community Supported Agriculture, care farms, play spaces, memorial gardens, or playing fields.
Some questions you might want to discuss with your group include:
- Does the space need to be within walking distance of your community?
- What will the space be used for?
- What are your group's priorities or needs? For example, south facing, safe access for children or locks.
Our Community Growing Resource Pack has everything you need to know about starting up and managing your group. It's free for Social Farms and Gardens members too.
Download the Community Growing Resource Pack >
Introduce your project to landowners
When you're searching for land, you need a simple way to tell landowners about your group and potential project. We've made this easier by creating a form for you to download and fill out.
The Introducing Your Community Project form helps you to clearly communicate your ideas to a landowner or local authority. The form covers important issues that are key to the success of the project, and can be part of your business or action plan. It should provide landowners with reassurance and may also help you with funding bids.
If you're working with our Community Land Advisory Service, this form will be really helpful for the team who will be supporting you.
Download template introduction form for your project > (Word doc)
Search for suitable land
Use your key priorities as a guide, and start a thorough search of land in the area best suited to your community’s needs.
Be flexible and wide-ranging at this stage and avoid being too restrictive. A piece of land which seems inappropriate at first may end up being your preferred option. Similarly, land which looks ideal at first glance could have a problem involving significant time or cost. If you don't have a particular site in mind or are not developing an existing piece of land there are plenty of ways to get started.
Things to explore in your area:
- Consider land at your local school, park or health centre
- Consider planting road verges
- Consider managing or improving smaller woodland or hedgerows (and proving your value)
- Search for vacant sites using digital tools such as satellite mapping, OS digital green space map or the Land Registry (England and Wales).
- Talk to local people, local businesses, local contacts, your library, community centre, school, church and council
- Use social media to ask questions about vacant land in your area
If land doesn't seem to fit your needs, you might want to consider changing your project to suit the potential land available. Discuss whether this would still suit your community needs and agree any changes with your group.
Explore Community Asset Transfer with your local authority
Local authorities often have land that is not being used, has been underused or is surplus to requirements.
Your local ward member can advise you about who you need to speak to at the local authority and may be helpful in progressing your project.
In Wales and Scotland, our dedicated Community Land Advisory Service can help you find the right people to speak to. As well as the Community Land Advisory Service, our UK-wide Social Farms & Gardens team can put you in touch with a similar project managing local authority land.
Local authorities and public bodies have set procedures for transferring even the smallest of spaces for community management. Some local authorities have Community Asset Transfer officers or departments. It may be helpful to search 'Community Asset Transfer' on your council website to see if they have set procedures to follow and how to contact them.
Organise land permissions and consents
Landowners and local authorities will often want to see that your group is constituted, has terms of reference, insurance and a business or management plan. Our Community Land Advisory Service or UK-wide team can help if you need support. There are also other agencies such as the Wales Council for Voluntary Action in Wales, the NAVCA in England or the SCVO in Scotland.
Permissions and consents you may need to cover include:
- Planning permission or other consents to use or build on land. If you want to build structures, look for a site within the settlement boundary of an area, rather than countryside
- A lease agreement or licence with the landowner
- Whether you wish to buy the land
- Any specific controls on your prospective land, such as listed buildings or whether the plot is in a Site of Specific Scientific Interest
Always contact your local authority about the constraints, covenants and planning conditions on a particular site before entering into any legal agreement to take the site on.
This resource was produced by our Community Land Advisory Service. The service offers one-to-one land and planning advice in Wales or Scotland.