Save Belhaven Community Garden

NHS Lothian have now received and officially acknowledged our request to take Belhaven Community Garden into community ownership so as to protect this asset for the benefit of everyone living in the Dunbar and East Linton ward in the long term.

As part of the process, “anyone may make representations about this request to NHS Lothian. Representations must be in writing and include the name and address of the person making it.  A copy of the representation will be given to the organisation making the request.

Representations must be made by 2 March 2026.  They should be sent to loth.comempreq@nhs.scot, or Lothian NHS Board, Mainpoint, 102 Westport, Edinburgh, EH3 9DN.“

PLEASE take a couple of minutes to email NHS Lothian to indicate your support (remembering to include your name and address). Many thanks!

Our full application and all the supporting documents are available HERE

In 2012,

with the support of NHS Lothian, Sustaining Dunbar took over management of part of the hospital grounds and established Belhaven Community Garden. Since then we have created a thriving community garden which provides: 

  • A Therapeutic Space–that helps to enhance the mental and physical health and wellbeing of a wide range of local people and groups. 
  • A Growing Space–for herbs, flowers, fruit and vegetables, for anyone who wants to come together to grow food with others in a supportive, sharing environment. 
  • A Learning Space–supporting training and sharing of practical food growing and regenerative land-care skills, for all ages and abilities. 
  • A Biodiverse Space -that is developing the range and variety of habitats so as to enhance the number and variety of species in the garden and its soil. 

Community ownership will enable us to:

  • build on the work that we have already started to develop a healthy, diverse natural ecosystem and greenspace that supports the biodiversity and wellbeing of our community and builds resilience to climate change.
  • create new opportunities for a wide range of people to develop general employability skills and train in specific skills for regenerative land management and organic food growing in the heart of our community and accessible by active travel.
  • help people to develop a deeper connection to nature and an understanding of nature’s closed loop cycles -encouraging people to value the development of a truly circular, sharing economy.
  • enable many more opportunities for healthy, outdoor, physical activity that enhances physical health and mental wellbeing, encourages social interaction between diverse participants, provides space for local food growing and supports community resilience. 

We have now lodged

a ‘community asset transfer’ application to bring the garden into community ownership. NHS Lothian now have six months in which to consider our request. Please take a couple of minutes to support our request by emailing: loth.comempreq@nhs.scot Remember to include your name and address!