Funding for Communities to Create Pocket Parks

The Government has launched the Pocket Parks Plus fund to support local community groups to develop their own small plots of land which provide an oasis from urban life and that help improve the physical and mental health of surrounding communities.

There is a total of £1 million allocated for 2018/19 with grants of up to £15,000 for new pocket parks and £25,000 for refurbishment of existing parks split between capital and revenue. Communities are required to obtain match-funding towards the grant awarded and they need to provide evidence that a minimum of 30% of the grant applied for has been secured.

Pocket parks are defined as a piece of land of up to 0.4 hectares, although many are around 0.02 hectares – the size of a tennis court. Each pocket park will be an individual space tailored to the needs of the local area by the community group which has applied for the grant.

The funding will support communities to develop new green spaces, or improve existing ones that are in poor condition, that provide people with better quality spaces; increasing opportunities for social mixing, healthy living, relaxation, play, food growing and contact with nature.

The funding support will enable, for example, (this list is not exhaustive):

• Capital – support to prepare a site, earth-works, landscaping, tree planting, structural works etc. and put it into a good condition for further development.
• Resource – to secure support from relevant experts (ie. landscape architects, lawyers, horticulturalists or wider green sector experts) and/or to connect with existing green space support networks.

The deadline for applications is 25 January 2019 (5pm).