Community orchard hopes for March scuppered’ by skate park plan says Councillor Martin Field

Hopes of a community orchard for March have been “scuppered” by Fenland Council’s decision to build a skate park on the chosen site.

Cllr Martin Field said March Organic Community Orchard Group (MOCO) has been trying to identify a suitable place for an orchard where residents can go to enjoy picking fresh fruit.

He said the original choice of land off of March by-pass was lost to another community scheme, but the group had since identified land at North Drive Park as the ideal spot.

Cllr Field said the group had been working with officers for some time on the plans to plant an orchard on the Fenland-owned land which backs onto bungalows.

He said: “We thought it was the perfect spot. It would be nice for the residents to have trees at the back of their properties. People pass the site to get into town and so it would be ideal as they can pick a few apples or pears as they go past.”

However, he said the hopes have since been dashed with proposals by the council to use the site for a new skate park.

Fenland’s cabinet discussed the site at a recent meeting when there were three options set out in a report by officers.

The report explained the council’s estates and leisure services teams had been approached by the March Organic Community Orchard Group in October seeking consent to lease the land for their community orchard.

It said: “As the council had not specifically invited expressions of interest in relation to the future use of North Drive and because there were other potential options available, MOCO’s proposal was initially declined.

“This has, however, prompted further consideration as to the future use of North Drive and the options set out in this report.”

There were three options one was to leave the site as it is, one was to allow its use as a community orchard, and the third option was a skatepark.

The report said that a recent planning application for 425 homes off Barkers Lane had included setting aside an area for a community orchard, which the report suggested might mean an alternative provision will be available in the future.

It also said that MOCO had submitted a petition with 208 signatures in support of their project, which has received funding from Healthy Fenland.

The report said if it were to be given over for an orchard it would be done in line with other community gardens including having a peppercorn rent.

It then goes on to outline using the site for a skate park, which councillors for the area had expressed a “desire to see” within the North Drive park.

Discussion at the Cabinet meeting saw concerns over how the orchard would be maintained with Cllr Dee Laws who raised the point also adding her concern that fallen fruit might attract vermin, because of the site’s proximity to the river, unless it was checked daily by volunteers.

She was also worried that the orchard might attract “antisocial behaviour”.

Meanwhile, Cllr Sam Hoy questioned whether it was the right location for an orchard pointing out that Wisbech has two community orchards, one in the town’s park which she said was “a terrible location, it is poorly used and blocks a number of key facilities”.

However, she said the other Wisbech orchard in Lynn Road was well-used with a number of projects being undertaken there.

A number of councillors felt young people needed space to “left of steam” and ultimately a vote saw the majority of members backing the skate park scheme.

But Cllr Field, who is not a cabinet member, has questioned the decision and said an orchard would have been a much better use for the area than a skate park.

He said: “The area backs on to bungalows that are largely occupied by older people and families with a disabled member. The skate park will attract young people who will rightly be making a noise as they use it.

“There will be a hump included in the skate park which will allow users to look over into people’s gardens. I can’t understand how they think a skate park is more desirable in helping to stop anti-social behaviour than an orchard.

“This has scuppered a really nice project that would have benefited the whole town. People could have got involved helping to look after the trees and the site, residents could enjoy fresh fruit straight off the trees, and it would have been a nice place to visit,”