Ms Maeve Foreman:

It is clear one size does not fit all. Where there is a will and a willingness on the part of the local authority areas, such as in Back Lane and Mucky Lane, we can make good use, as the Deputy noted, of these idle spaces that are no good to anybody. As for pollinating and biodiversity, it is better that they are not just flat grass but rather that they be grown on. We need more and more models such as that in Bridgefoot Street. There are many areas throughout the country such as Cloontuskert, County Roscommon, where the community garden is in a corner of a public park, so it is open. Serenity community garden, which is on a corner plot, is another garden that is open to the public. The origins of it relate to a homeless man having been found dead in the bushes there, and there was a desire to do something in his memory and to make better use of the spot. There are many good examples of sites where the best use of them is as a community garden.