Important Information
- Shared gardens – in which gardeners work together to cultivate shared garden beds and the harvest is shared amongst the gardeners
- Allotment gardens – in which gardeners each have their own garden bed
- Verge gardens – where a gardener cultivates food on their roadside verge and shares the harvest with their local community.
- Community enjoy the natural environment and open spaces within and around Port Elliot.
- The township has great infrastructure supporting both ageing community members and families.
- Future development should be sympathetic to the place and take into consideration neighbouring people’s lives and livelihoods.
- Community members saw opportunities to enhance their town and community through:
- Building a community garden to produce vegetables and educate people
- Increasing tree planting
- Encouraging and supporting the community to socialise by activating public spaces through activities, events and/or infrastructure.
Frequently Asked Questions
At the 18 October 2021 Council meeting, Council endorsed proceeding to public consultation to gauge the community’s appetite for a new community-led community garden at Reserve 60, Lot 60 Cinema Court, Port Elliot commencing as soon as practical.
You can view the Council Report here and Minutes here
What is a community garden?
A community garden is an area of public land, gardened collectively by a group of people, with the primary purpose of producing food. Community gardens may be on land owned by Council, schools, churches or on social housing estates. There are three main types of community gardens:
Many community gardens choose to have a mixture of shared beds and allotment beds.
Community gardens provide a shared space where people can come together to grow fresh food, learn new skills, relax, connect with their community and contribute to greening community spaces.
What is the Port Elliot Town and Foreshore Improvement Association?
The Port Elliot Town and Foreshore Improvement Association is an incorporated body run by community members. The Association undertakes a range of roles and activities including acting as an umbrella association for local groups ensuring they are covered by insurance and enabling them to apply for grants. The Friends of Port Elliot Community Garden, a sub-committee under the auspice of Port Elliot Town and Foreshore Improvement Association, propose to establish and operate a not-for-profit community garden, including shared and allotment beds, at Reserve 60, Lot 60 Cinema Court, Port Elliot.
Where is Reserve 60 located?
Reserve 60 is located at Lot 60 Cinema Court, Port Elliot. The land is Council owned community land opposite the Emergency Services Complex on Elliot Street, Port Elliot (land area identified in yellow within image below).
The reserve is currently utilised by local residents and community as open space. The area is accessible at all times to community with access via Cinema Court or the north-eastern corner off Elliot Street.
What does the proposal say?
The Friends of Port Elliot Community Garden Committee’s propose to establish a community garden at the eastern end of Reserve 60 for members of the garden and for the broader community on particular occasions.
Review The Friends of Port Elliot Community Garden Committee’s proposal here.
The proposed area is approximately 67m x 41m, however additional area may be required to provide the necessary easement over existing underground infrastructure and the potential addition of off-street car parking. The proposal includes the establishment of raised garden beds (shared and individually leased), shelter, tool storage, fruit trees and native plantings around the perimeter as natural wind-breaks.
For clarity, access to the garden is planned to be via Elliot Street only.
Review The Friends of Port Elliot Community Garden Committee’s design here.
How will the site be managed?
The Friends of Port Elliot Community Garden Committee propose to manage the community garden. The proposal includes plans to fence the indicated area with capacity to lock-up at night and outside of regular (at least weekly) opening hours, and member gardeners issued with keys to access the garden anytime during daylight hours with respect for surrounding neighbours.
This type of arrangement would be administered by a community tenure agreement (no fee) with Council. Access for the general public (non-members) would be limited to defined opening hours of the garden.
What did the Port Elliot Village Conversations say?
The Port Elliot Village Conversations were held in June 2021. The Community's participation in the Conversations was strong, with over 110 attendees across the program. The Friends of Port Elliot Community Garden Committee were represented. The key related messages from the Village Conversations were: