Green shoots will soon be visible in Westport as Westport Town Council's allotment scheme finally comes to fruition. According to Cllr Keith Martin, a member of Westport Allotments Association and a driving force behind the project, the scheme should be up and running by mid April once a number of minor works are completed.
Ann Moore, the Town Clerk, updated councillors on the progress at the February meeting of the council following a request from Cllr Martin.
The allotments will be provided by Westport Town Council on council lands on the Lodge Road and the scheme will be administered and managed by the Westport Allotments Association. Currently Westport Town Council is carrying out minor works such as the provision of car parking on the site.
According to Cllr Martin "This scheme, when established, will allow Westport's citizens to develop sustainable and local foods for their own consumption and allow for food security and the combating of climate change through greater self-sufficiency. Allotments are also a logical response to recent food price inflation."
"Allotments will be ideal in Westport because of the large number of flats and apartments without any gardens and the number of houses with tiny gardens will mean that there are a large number of people who will welcome the opportunity to grow their own vegetables.
"But allotments are about so much more than growing your own food or flowers, allotments are also about exercise, teaching children about growth and nature, social interaction with neighbours and getting out of the apartment and having your own small bit of outdoor space on the ground.
"I called for an Municipal Allotments Scheme in my first submission on the Westport Town Development Plan back in May 2008 and have worked with the other councillors to ensure that it was adopted as council policy in the current 5-year Development Plan which is now in effect. This is another step forward in making Westport a greener and more sustainable town and it is to be warmly welcomed and a fine example of councillors responding to the needs of their constituents."
Cllr Keith Martin
086 0691182
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