Dig for economy: grow cheap food in royal parks

The royal parks and other major green spaces should be transformed into allotments to offset the rising price of food, a report on sustainable living suggests today.

Ben Reynolds, author of Edible Cities, said the cost of fresh produce would be brought down and more people could choose homegrown food over prepackaged supermarket goods.

He said: "We are all familiar with allotments and the odd community garden as features of the city landscape, but more often than not a lot of space is wasted.

"With a little support we could see salad crops and vegetables produced commercially within the city.

"I think more people want to start growing and sooner or later more people will have to do it as food prices continue to rise. We are looking to offset-people's food bills by a small amount but the great thing about urban agriculture isn't just the money you will be saving by growing your own, it's also the enjoyment of actually going out and growing.

"It is a great way to keep healthy and preserve a sense of community."

Colin Buttery, deputy chief executive of the Royal Parks, welcomed the report having recently inspected similar schemes in America. He said: "We saw some really inspiring initiatives. In Chicago, they were growing food in the ornamental flower beds in the central park. There were no fences and yet there was no vandalism. The harvested produce was sold at a nearby market.

"It would be great to see some of these ideas adopted in London."

The proposals will be discussed at a conference in City Hall on Monday.

If agreed, sections of Richmond Park, St James's Park, Greenwich Park and Regent's Park could be dug up to make way for fruit and vegetable plots. Hampstead Heath, Hyde Park, Bushey Park, Holland Park and Kensington Gardens could also be used, as well as flowerbeds on central reservations and communal spaces on housing estates.

The scheme is a throwback to the Second World War, when families grew their own food and public parks were transformed into allotments as part of the Dig for Victory campaign.