Berkeley has officially opened the new community growing garden and orchard at Leighwood Fields in Cranleigh, creating a welcoming new space for residents to grow food, spend time outdoors and come together as neighbours.
The new gardens sit at the heart of Leighwood Fields’ Village Square and forms an important part of Berkeley’s approach to placemaking. They have been designed to support everyday community life, with shared growing plots, a communal shed and a peaceful orchard where residents can enjoy nature close to home.
The growing garden gives residents the opportunity to cultivate their own fruit, vegetables and herbs, while the communal shed provides a small kitchen area, kettle, mugs and other essentials to help people make the most of the space.
To help get the project started, DB Landscapes, who have delivered the landscaping at Leighwood Fields, have donated a gardening starter kit, including tools, seeds and first aid supplies.
Its opening reflects a key part of Berkeley’s Our Vision strategy: working in partnership to create unique places where communities thrive and people feel like they belong. At Leighwood Fields, that means creating spaces that make it easier for people to meet, build friendships and feel connected to the place they call home.
Paul Vallone, Divisional Chairman, Berkeley:
“Creating great places is about much more than building homes. It's about creating spaces where people can meet, connect and build a sense of community. The new gardens and orchard at Leighwood Fields are a wonderful example of this, providing residents with an opportunity to spend time outdoors, grow their own food and get to know their neighbours.”
Delivering Lasting Benefits for the Community
Leighwood Fields will deliver 425 private and affordable homes, including 128 affordable homes, in a thoughtfully designed neighbourhood surrounded by the Surrey Hills. The development is also providing more than £3.5 million in contributions towards local infrastructure through the Section 106 agreement.
Wider community benefits include enhanced pedestrian and cycle links to Cranleigh High Street to the north and the countryside to the south, a new feature bridge over the stream, land for a new community centre, seven local play areas and a village green.
The development also links directly onto the Downs Link, a 37-mile traffic-free route connecting the North Downs Way in Surrey to the South Downs Way and Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex, giving residents and the wider community easy access to walking and cycling routes through the countryside.
