Beth Harley-Jepson, Project Support Officer for Whitechapel Vision Delivery team presented her report relating to the release of £40,222 of section 106 resources to Core Landscapes to relocate and establish their community garden project in Whitechapel.

The project will bring an innovative community garden at Royal London Hospital where everything is container grown to withstand moves to new locations, an innovative showcase of meanwhile space for community benefit.

Members of the Grants Scrutiny Sub-Committee asked the following questions:

·         Where is the charity presently located?

·         Is the cost mentioned just the cost of moving?

·         What is the duration of the lease at the new location?

·         What types of communities will the charity target and reach out to?

·         A map showing the size and scale of the garden would have been useful.

·         Were other locations considered?

·         Is Bart’s Trust contributing financially to the project?

·         Will the site be accessible for deliveries, given it sits on an intersection?

·         Is there a caveat in the contract that says the project stays in Tower Hamlets?

·         What links can be made with Queen Mary University’s life-sciences project in terms of benefits to the university, research and patients?

·         How is the project being evaluated?

The Sub-Committee AGREED to endorse the recommendation contained within the report and asked their comments be reported to the Grants Determination Sub-Committee.