Protect Elvet Green and Secure a Fair Future for this Community Space

For the last eight years, Hemp Garden Community Association CIC (HGCA) has transformed the abandoned former bowling green at Elvet into a thriving community garden and public park for everyone to enjoy.

What was once a neglected and unused space is now a well-loved community asset, maintained entirely through thousands of hours of volunteer time, fundraising, and local support.

Durham County Council itself acknowledged this contribution in January 2025, stating:

“The former bowling green and surrounding area would not be the pleasant, well-kept environment that it is without the work undertaken by members and supporters of HGCA and for this, on behalf of Durham County Council – thank you for your fantastic work.”

Despite this recognition, HGCA has repeatedly been denied the opportunity to formally present its long-term vision for the future of the wider Elvet Green and Elvet Waterside site.

In late 2025, HGCA sought to protect the area by exploring registration as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) under the Localism Act 2011. At the same time, HGCA was repeatedly assured that a dedicated meeting would be arranged to discuss the future of the site. Despite multiple requests and support from Durham City MP Mary Kelly Foy, that meeting has never taken place.

Instead, the Council has progressed proposals affecting the site, including a now-abandoned outdoor gym proposal and the sale of the former public conveniences building, without ever sitting down with the organisation that has cared for, maintained, and invested in the area since 2017.
Mary Kelly Foy MP has publicly supported HGCA’s vision, stating:

“I believe that the vision that HGCA have outlined to me offers a real opportunity to revitalise this part of the riverbank, offer a new facility of real community value and save the local authority further money.”

“It would tie together the work that HGCA has already done in tidying up this part of the city and leave the former public convenience building in the hands of custodians who want to ensure the continued community use and development of this area, rather than simply a limited retail unit.”

While HGCA successfully worked with residents to oppose the proposed outdoor gym, concerns remain about how decisions regarding the future of Elvet Green and Elvet Waterside are being made.
Questions have been raised regarding consultation, transparency, equality considerations, and whether the community has been given a genuine opportunity to influence the future of this important public space.

HGCA is not seeking preferential treatment. We are simply asking for a fair, transparent, and lawful process that properly recognises nearly a decade of community stewardship and gives local people a meaningful voice in shaping the future of an asset they have helped create.

Since 2017, HGCA has invested countless hours of volunteer time, alongside significant fundraising and resources, to transform, maintain, and enhance this area for the benefit of the whole community.

We believe the future of Elvet Green and Elvet Waterside should be considered as a whole and should reflect the needs, aspirations, and wishes of the people who use and care for it every day.

We therefore call upon Durham County Council to:

• Arrange a formal meeting with HGCA without further delay.
• Properly recognise HGCA’s longstanding stewardship and contribution to the site.
• Ensure any future decisions are made through a fair, transparent, and inclusive process.
• Consider the future of Elvet Green and Elvet Waterside holistically, rather than as isolated assets.
• Work collaboratively with the local community to secure a sustainable long-term future for this valuable public space.
Please sign and share this petition and ask Durham County Council to work with, rather than around, the community that has cared for this space for almost a decade.

Visit our Facebook page to see the incredible transformation of the site over the years.

Thank you for your support.

Hemp Garden Community Association CIC