1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Sunderland
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Sunderland North Community Allotments
Short description of the intervention
The "Sunderland North Community Allotments" project aimed to clear and renovate derelict allotment plots, remove fly-tipping and rubbish and transform the site into brand new resources for local people. The project is expected to increase people’s knowledge of growing healthy produce and aims to enhance their diet whilst improving the amount of exercise and time spent in a green space. The project has been implemented in multiple areas including but not limited to Fulwell, Primrose, Thompson Road, Shields Road, High Southwick, Fulwell and Waterworks Field, Shields Road. Very recently, one of the allotments in Fulwell Mill got destroyed by a devastating fire. (Ref 1, 9 and 10)
Address

Multi-place intervention
Sunderland
United Kingdom

Location
The NBS is situated in an area, with clear delineation of boundaries and a specific shape (polygon). The NBS project can also have more than one area location (more than one polygon, situated close by).
Area boundary
POINT (-1.39194 54.927948)
NBS area image
Source of NBS area image
Google maps. Available at: https://www.google.com/maps/place/22+Viewforth+Terrace,+Sunderland+SR5+1PZ,+UK/@54.9286298,-1.3910842,487a,35y,169.37h/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x487e667393efb3e1:0x9ab6261f47bf2134!8m2!3d54.9273834!4d-1.3909989. Accessed on 9th November, 2020.
Note: The intervention is located in multiple locations. Only one of them is indicated with co-ordinates.
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Previous derelict area
Public Greenspace Area
Website of the intervention
https://www.groundwork.org.uk/Sites/tyneandwear/Pages/community-allotments
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2011
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
unknown
End date of the intervention
2012
Present stage of the intervention
Completed
Goals of the intervention
1. To increase people's knowledge of growing healthy produce.
2. To improve the amount of exercise and time spent in a green space.
3. Provide job training. (Ref 1)
Quantitative targets
Unknown.
Monitoring indicators defined
Unknown.
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Environmental education
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Creation of opportunities for recreation
Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
Economic development: agriculture
Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
Sustainable consumption
Sustainable production
Implementation activities
1. Create new allotments and improve existing ones, 2. Organise activities for citizens to undertake at these allotments to increase their engagement. (Ref 2)
Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
Transformation of previously derelict areas
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Community gardens and allotments
Allotments
Please specify the number of plots or allotment gardens
Unknown
Vegetation Type
Garden beds
Amenities offered by the NBS
Cultural (museum, concert areas)
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Provisioning services
Food for human consumption (crops, vegetables)
Cultural services
Aesthetic appreciation
Recreation
Intellectual interactions (scientific and / or educational)
Social and community interactions
Please specify "other cultural service"
Provide job training (REFERENCE NEEDED)
Scale
Spatial scale
Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Citizens or community groups
Young people and children
Please specify other local relevant strategy
The Sunderland City Council's Public Health programme partly funded the Green Activity programme that this intervention is part of (Ref 2).
Governance
Governance arrangements
Government-led
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
The project is planned and executed by Groundwork in Tyne and Wear, the regional sub-group of the national Groundwork federation (Ref 7).
Key actors - initiating organization
Regional government
Non-government organisation/civil society
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Regional government
Local government/municipality
Non-government organisation/civil society
Citizens or community group
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Yes
Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan"
The intervention is part of "The Green Activity Programme" delivered across Sunderland. This programme provides new and innovative ways to health and neighbourhood improvement (Ref 2).
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Unknown
Please specify other type of voluntary intervention
Voluntary creation of green infrastructure (Ref
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
The Sunderland Green Infrastructure Strategy Framework mentions the "potential for small scale community food production through new and improved allotments" (Ref 3, p. 14).
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify the general plan with GI/NBS section
1. The Sunderland Infrastructure Delivery Plan (Ref 4) refers to an Allotment Plan.
2. The Sunderland City Council's Public Health programme partly funded the Green Activity programme that this intervention is part of (Ref 2).
If there is a relevant strategy or plan, please specify the theme / type of the plan.
City specific green space strategy or plan
Other
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
The local "Groundwork Tyne & Wear" is part of a national network of the Groundwork federation (Ref 7, top of the web page).
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
1. The Sunderland City Council Strategic Initiative budget has partly funded some allotments, 2. The Community Foundation serving Tyne and Wear and Northumberland has also partly funded allotments (Ref 1).
Co-finance for NBS
Yes
Co-financing governance arrangements
Unknown
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
€100,000 - €500,000
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
Unknown
What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?
Unknown
What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?
Unknown
Please specify cost savings
Unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
40.000 British Pounds was funded by the Sunderland City Council (Ref 5) and 200.000 by the Community Foundation (Ref 6).
Source(s) of funding
Public local authority budget
Other
Please specify other source of funding
The community foundation is a product of civil society, designed to pool donations into a coordinated invermsnt and grant making facility (Ref 8).
Type of fund(s) used
Earmarked public budget
Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Yes
Type of non-financial contribution
Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Other
Business models
Local stewardship model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Private non-for-profit actor (e.g. NGO, foundation)
Citizens / local communities
Type of innovation
Technological
Infrastructural innovation
Please specify technological innovation
Creation of green infrastructure. (ref 1)
Novelty level of the innovation
Unknown
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
Unknown.
Replicability/Transferability
The innovation is not referred to as being transferred to new initiative(s)
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
Unknown.
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Environmental quality
Improved soil quality
Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Increased number of species present
Restoration of derelict areas
Description of environmental benefits
1. The project provided extra green space in the city where the locals can grow food and enjoy a variety of healthy cheap food.
2. Different kinds of vegetables are being produced which increases the total number of cultivated plants in the area.
3. The project has transformed some of the previously unused waste space into green spaces. (Ref 1, 5 and 7)
Economic impacts
Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
Description of economic benefits
1. Locals grow their own food which they can consume or sell in the market.
2. This on the other hand provides an economic opportunity for young people.
3. Some of the allotments call for paid employed positions for help. (Ref 3, 5 and 7)
Social and cultural impacts
Social justice and cohesion
Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
Increased access to healthy/affordable food
Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
Health and wellbeing
Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Description of social and cultural benefits
1. The sites rea managed by the community groups and the local residents. This has improved their engagement with nature.
2. Many of the food producers grow their vegetables with organic farming practices. This has improved the health benefits of the food as well as involve sustainable agricultural practices. (Ref 1 and 7)
Type of reported impacts
Achieved impacts
Indicators
1. Future Job Fund placements of local young people, 2. number of young people who were part of the Mandatory Work Activity placement, 3. number of allotments (Ref 1 and 7).
Environmental, social and economic impacts
Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
Paid employment positions
Voluntary work opportunities
Environmental justice: The implementation of the NBS project resulted in ...
Increased access to healthy food for humans and/or animals
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project
COVID-19 pandemic
Unknown as of November, 2020.
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
No evidence in public records
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Unknown
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
Unknown.
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Unknown
References
Web links relevant to the intervention
Ref 1: Green fingered volunteers open Fulwell community allotment.
Ref 2: Green activity, Sunderland
Ref 5: Financial statement and proposals for further allocation of resources
Ref 7: Community allotments
Ref 8: Wikipedia (n.d.). Community Foundation.
Documents relevant to the intervention
Attachment Size
Ref 3: Sunderland Partnership. (2011). Green Infrastructure Strategy Framework. (3.45 MB) 3.45 MB
Ref 4: Johnson, J. (2013). Infrastructure Delivery Plan. (488.33 KB) 488.33 KB
Ref 5: Sunderland North Area Committee. (2011). Financial statement and proposals for further allocation of resources. (49.18 KB) 49.18 KB
Ref 6: Community Foundation serving Tyne & Wear and Northumberland. (2012). Grants awarded april 2011 to march 2012. (666.08 KB) 666.08 KB
List of references
Ref 1: Andy. (2012). Green fingered volunteers open Fulwell community allotment. Retrieved from http://www.randrlife.co.uk/green-fingered-volunteers-open-fulwell-community-allotment772/
Ref 2: Groundwork. (n.d.). Green activity, Sunderland. Retrieved from https://www.groundwork.org.uk/Sites/tyneandwear/Pages/green-activity-sunderland
Ref 3: Sunderland Partnership. (2011). Green Infrastructure Strategy Framework. [attached]
Ref 4: Johnson, J. (2013). Infrastructure Delivery Plan. [attached]
Ref 5: Sunderland North Area Committee. (2011). Financial statements and proposals for further allocation of resources. [attached]
Ref 6: Community Foundation serving Tyne & Wear and Northumberland. (2012). Grants awarded april 2011 to march 2012. [attached]
Ref 7: Groundwork. (n.d.). Community allotments. Retrieved from https://www.groundwork.org.uk/Sites/tyneandwear/Pages/community-allotments
Ref 8: Wikipedia (2020). Community Foundation. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_foundation on 9th November, 2020.
Ref 9: Chronicle Live (2020) New footage shows devastating aftermath of Sunderland fire which killed 250 pigeons. Retrieved from https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/new-footage-shows-devastating-aftermath-18435032 on 9th November, 2020.
Ref 10: Sunderland City Council (n.d.) Allotments in Sunderland. Retrieved from https://www.sunderland.gov.uk/article/12472/Allotments-in-Sunderland on 9th November, 2020.
Comments and notes
Pictures of the NBS
/sites/default/files/nbs/images/allotment_picture.jpg
Please specify other source of non-financial contribution
Community group members and NGO