Thames Water decision on Greenway orchard planting proposal, plus latest on Indoor Vertical Hydroponics suggestion

Since meeting with the MP for East Ham, Stephen Timms at the beginning of the year, in late January we sent him a comprehensive document explaining our Greenway orchard planting proposal.

We included information on tree cultivar selection, looking in detail at a host of different considerations important for long-term viability of the orchard, benefits to local people, biodiversity, ecological health, carbon drawdown and reduced food shipping miles.

We also touched on agroforestry; a symbiotic food growing system which is largely self-supporting, requiring little inputs, including water.

We covered how we would source funds and trees, where we would go for support and expert advice, plus how we would recruit sufficient volunteers to help with planting and maintenance.

We also wrote about the educational benefits:

• how this could encourage the planting of food growing perennials in home gardens

• change attitudes to personal responsibility towards the immense, rapidly increasing threat of climate change

• the role of community-led cohesion and decision-making in combatting this threat

At the end of January, Stephen Timms kindly wrote to the CEO of Thames Water requesting permission for a community orchard along the Greenway, above their Northern Outfall Sewer.

In February, the North London Local Government Lead for Thames Water emailed Stephen Timms to say that they had contacted their operational teams who would liaise with ClimateYouChange founder, Celia and the local council directly in order to look for suitable locations for community planting.

He stated that there was unfortunately a possibility that many areas would not be suitable but that they would work Celia and the local council to help where they could.

They would also need to assess any tree planting proposal to ensure that there is no danger to the structural integrity of their critical asset.

In response to the above:

We asked Stephen Timms whether he could propose that we plant fruit bushes instead, given their shorter root depth, alongside wildflowers, and that areas of land which have even shallower soil depth be proposed to be used for raised bed community garden growing.

We made a point of saying that we see considerable benefit in including pollinator friendly planting within the proposed Greenway project, given the “insect Armageddon” used to describe the 90% reduction in insect populations that local garden designer and landscape consultant, Alison Touzout had told us about.

After a bit of back-and-forth Stephen Timms received a reply in June from the Office Manager of the CEO. Sadly, it wasn’t what we were hoping to hear.

We found out that there was limited possibility for further planting and that this would be managed through their current relationships with existing stakeholders and or forums in the future.

It is important to note that we do appreciate all the effort made by Stephen Timms on our behalf, irrespective of the outcome.

He did ask us to let him know what we made of the reply and said that he would be happy to write again about this or any matter, should we need him to do so.

Given the mention of limited possibility for further planting we asked Stephen Timms whether he would mind suggesting that we only plant annual crops in raised beds and/or shallow-rooted pollinator friendly wildflower planting alone, unless of course there could be any access issues to the underground sewage pipe.

We did however make it clear in our email reply to Stephen Timms that if he felt that the matter was a fait accompli and this updated request would likely be met with the same response, then we would defer to his knowledge of Thames Water.

Given that they have said that they will manage any further planting through their current relationships and stakeholders, it is unlikely that Thames Water will give us the go-ahead for any amended planting suggestion.

That said, we have been in conversation with the council about our Greenway proposal. So, if not us, then hopefully they can take the idea forward as a potential stakeholder in whatever capacity could be acceptable to Thames Water.

Example of a vertical hydroponics farm

Regarding the other idea which we were exploring of setting up a pilot example of indoor vertical hydroponic food growing we have decided that this is not something which we would like to pursue. The reasons for this include the following:

• as we have land and growing conditions in the UK which are suitable for in-ground crops, then this seems infinitely preferable to growing indoors the types of foods which are suitable for outdoor cultivation

• start-up costs are huge, as are a variety of other associated expenses

• building rents are especially high in urban areas, too much so for financial viability

• much of the equipment and many of the materials used are unsustainable

• a number of practices and processes come with an associated carbon footprint

• we believe that there are health implications

Furthermore, had our research yielded more positive results, then we would need to look for a new location. When we made the initial proposal for indoor vertical hydroponics to Stephen Timms Newham City Farm had been temporarily closed down as far as we knew.

It had been closed in March 2020 owing to the lockdown and then in November 2020 had been found to fall below the standards expected for animal conditions and husbandry.

It was however believed that it would reopen. This hasn’t happened as of yet.

This is a bit of a moot point, considering that we have decided against an indoor vertical hydroponics pilot.

It wasn’t however time lost, as the extensive research carried out gave us valuable information, opening our minds to different food growing concepts and educating us more widely on ecology, including that of soil health.

We now find ourselves better informed on different food growing practices and have benefitted on a number of discussions with different experts who kindly gave us their time, including a professional who works in the field of indoor food growing and an expert in the care of wild bees.

We will use our newfound knowledge in the pursuit of our group’s wider goals.