Exhibition Item

Maitland City Council uses the Community Gardens Policy to govern and regulate the decision-making process for granting Council owned land or Crown land under Council management for the use of community gardens. It serves as a guide to community groups wishing to apply to develop a community garden.

The Community Garden Policy defines a community garden as ‘a not-for-profit community-based enterprise which manages an identified garden space for the production of food for the consumption of the gardeners, and/or ornamental or artistic planting’. 

A recent review has been conducted on this policy. The intention of the revised policy is to encourage and promote the establishment of Community Gardens in the Maitland Local Government Area. The proposed changes of the Policy are summarised below: 

• The removal of the bond payment requirement. This was removed to reduce financial barriers to entry for community gardens groups and better support the establishment of community gardens within the LGA.
• Additional activities added to the list of Restricted Activities and Considerations for Community Gardens on Council Land, including prohibiting the keeping of animals (chickens, ducks and bees) and the planting of inappropriate weeds or plants that would threaten the biodiversity of the Maitland’s natural environment.

The policy also contains a preliminary list of pre-identified Council sites that community gardens groups may apply for. You can also provide feedback on the site list, or suggest other sites we might consider, at Maitland YourSay.