Portsmouth City Council invites applications for community 'greening' projects

A date for the launch of the scheme, which was approved by city council cabinet member for environment Kimberly Barrett on Thursday (October 6), has not yet been set but it will be made up of £15,000 in the initial funding round.

Cllr Barrett said she had already been contacted by interested groups and said she hoped the money would help allow community groups to 'take ownership' of projects across the city.

'What we want to do is support those small groups who often feel like this sort of funding isn't for them,' she said. 'This fund is about helping them to do what they think is right to improve their area.

'I'm hoping we get so much interest that we can look at allocating even more for the next round in the spring.'

Grants of up to £5,000 will be issued to groups through the formal application process which replaces the existing 'ad hoc' arrangement.

Councillor Charlotte Gerarda said it was a 'fantastic' scheme but urged the council to support groups making bids and to increase the amount of money it has available.

'When we helped boost the fund in the budget earlier this year, we were really keen for this to happen,' she said.

The council allocated £100,000 at the beginning of the year with funding issued on a case-by-case basis .

Cllr Barrett said the new system was 'easier and fairer' with each application judged against criteria set in the council's environmental policies.

A report said council funding has so far seen almost 8,000 trees planted and three wildflower meadows created on its land over the last 18 months.

Efforts have been focused largely on encouraging schools and community groups to bring forward ideas.

The report added: ‘[The new system] will afford both the city council and applicants a transparent and consistent process in terms of how grants are awarded, while providing a clear framework for how each project application meets the strategic objectives for city-wide greening.’

The council said a communications plan to advertise the fund – and which will include the date for the opening of the application process - would be completed soon.