Together we can rewild our towns & cities
Find out below how you can get involved with Waste of Space.
There are many spaces around our towns and cities that are grey, unused, and unloved. In other words, these are a #WasteOfSpace. In the last year, the importance of where we live has come sharply into focus; people value the wild and green spaces around them more highly than ever before.
Help us in greening the grey and connecting everyone to their wilder sides by identifying your waste of space below. We're looking for spaces that are unused by the community and unwelcoming for wildlife. Examples of these include pieces of grass between houses, unused paved over spaces, or that patch of grass at the corner of your street.
Plot a waste of space on the map
If your waste of space has already been plotted by another person, plot it again to support its transformation!
Layers
What next?
We expect that some areas won't be suitable for transformation but for those that can be transformed, we'd love to work with you to make more space for your neighbourhood and for wildlife. Find out below how you can help us rewild your waste of space:
Take action
Step one: Assemble a community group
Being part of a community group will help you gain the momentum required to transform a waste of space. By working together, you can share your skills, knowledge and, most importantly, your passion to achieve the goals of your project. Having more voices on your side will also help you in getting the support of your local councils and other landowners.
You may not have to look very far to find a community group near you who may be willing to join your project. Click here for a map of all of our Team Wilder community groups.
Alternatively, if there's not a suitable group near you, you can set up your own one! There might be some Team Wilder members near you already who you can link up with or you can make use of our resources to find fun ways to engage your friends and neighbours and start your own community group.
Step two: Work with councils and businesses
The Waste of Space in your area is likely to either be owned by your local council, Hampshire County Council, or a local business. It's essential you have the landowner's support before you do anything with the space. We have several resources to help you reach out to your local council or business. We've already talked to several local councils who are keen to support and work with you.
Step three: Explore your Waste of Space
It's very important that you explore your waste of space before drawing up plans for transformation. What we think of as a Waste of Space might sometimes be providing a unique habitat for wildlife, so it's very important to take a look around and survey the area to avoid disturbing the nature that exists. Sometimes an area might just benefit from a thorough litter pick. Furthermore, by getting to know your area better, you can think more critically about how you could transform the area. Some areas might be better for trees while others for wildflower meadows.
With our easy to use resources, you can conduct surveys on your own. If you're at any point unsure, get in touch with us at wilder@hiwwt.org.uk or ask your council if you could talk to their ecologists.
#RewildThis #WasteOfSpace
If you've completed your citizen science surveys and gotten permissions from the landowner, you're ready to take action. We have several resources to help you get underway.
FAQs
What do we mean by a Waste of Space?
Any area, no matter how small, will contribute to a Nature Recovery Network, and help rewild where we live. We are asking people to identify small pockets of land which could be improved rather than existing green space. Examples of this include pieces of grass between houses or concrete planters that hold one tree and the rest is muddy ground. We recognise that people may identify larger areas of land, and we will share these with local councils and landowners too, as there may be opportunities to work together on these, but this is not the focus of the appeal.
What will you do with the mapped wasted spaces?
The mapped wasted spaces will be used by the Trust to support our campaigns for the need of a wilder future. It would be amazing to transform the many wasted spaces that have been identified, but with limited resources at the Trust, we rely on the very generous support of the public (you all) who have helped make space for nature in so many parts of their towns and cities already.
We recognise that not all of the spaces mapped will be able to be adopted for various reasons. Some land might be reserved for already agreed upon projects, other pieces of land won't be owned by the council or a local business, and others might not be such a waste of space as it first appears to be.
Once the spaces have been identified we will encourage people to join forces with their friends and neighbours to create green space for urban dwellers and breathe natural life back into our towns and cities. Our Wilder Communities Officers will provide support and advice to individuals, including how to talk to their local council, ways to identify what wildlife might already be living in their community, and how to make a space which works for people and wildlife. Everyone who takes part will become part of Team Wilder, 1000s of people across the two counties who are taking action for wildlife.
Find out more about Team Wilder: hiwwt.org.uk/team-wilder
Who will be responsible for the ongoing management of these spaces?
As part of Team Wilder, our Wilder Communities programme will provide ongoing support, ensuring that community groups have the skills and commitment to look after these spaces. As we’ll be working with local councils, we will be able to ensure the right spaces are adopted and that the communities involved are invested in the area on a long -term basis.
Get in touch
If you're at any point unsure, get in touch with us at wilder@hiwwt.org.uk