Tower Hamlets Council's full council meeting on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, addressed a range of resident concerns, including a petition for increased community growing spaces.
Councillors heard from representatives of the Right to Grow in Tower Hamlets
campaign, who urged the council to make it easier for residents and community groups to cultivate food on public land. The petition highlighted the benefits of community food growing for public health, cost of living, and environmental sustainability, referencing successful initiatives in other boroughs.
The campaign's petition outlines current barriers to community food cultivation, calling for simple supported processes for community groups to access that land
and fair leases that are long-term options for the community groups to invest in.
It implies that current access to land is not straightforward and that leases are too short for sustainable projects. Furthermore, the petition notes that council officers currently working on food growing specifically work on that for the housing estates so they don't look at anything beyond that.
Despite these challenges, the council already supports existing community gardens and growing spaces. The Right to Grow in Tower Hamlets
petition states that the council support 4,000 residents to grow food on 37 housing estates,
which produces six tons of veg produced annually through a shared experience
and six tons of culturally relevant food.
The petition was referred to the relevant directorates for a written response within 28 days. This follows a meeting that also included tributes to Dobiru Islam Choudhury OBE and Simon Baxter, Corporate Director for Communities.
Further details on the council's agenda and reports can be found in the Public reports pack and the Report on Petitions to Council.
