The Blue Finger Alliance is currently an informal group of people and organisations. They formed the Alliance because a number of different people and organisations all seemed to be focussing on this piece of land, from the community food growing project at Feed Bristol to the Rethink M32 park and Ride campaign. This land suddenly seemed important in all kinds of different ways…
The Blue Finger was christened by Richard Spalding of the University of the West of England, who has studied the area for many years. Historically the area was Bristol’s market gardening quarter – a complicated patchwork of smallholdings, market gardens, orchards and more.
The Blue Finger lies to the north of Bristol (see the Map page). At its heart is a strip of Grade 1 agricultural land, the top 3% of land in the country for growing food. Grade 1 land is coloured blue on Land Classification Maps – hence the name… The dark red soil is exceptionally deep and fertile and the area was Bristol’s historic market gardening quarter.
More at http://www.bluefingeralliance.org.uk/index.htm
and Safeguard our Soils, Mr. Pickles!
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Safeguard_our_Soils_Mr_Pickles/?launch
National Planning Policy is so weak that Councils clearly need to go above and beyond that at a local level.
