Tuesday November 25th 2025
Volunteers planting a tree at the Newtongrange Community Garden
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
A community garden in Newtongrange saw an abandoned site transformed into a green space for everyone but a question-mark currently hangs over its future as the site is ear-marked for future development.
Transformed by volunteers from the village, the community garden is located on the site of the former Top Club in Newtongrange which sat neglected for more than a decade after it was demolished.
Left derelict, overgrown and gathering litter, in February 2023 the Newtongrange Guerrilla Gardeners were granted permissions to put the abandoned land to good use and transform it into a green community space.
With support from the Newtongrange Development Trust and local councillor Douglas Bowen, the Guerrilla Gardeners were given the go-ahead to transform the area. The Development Trust held a community showcase in October 2022, almost half a year prior to permissions being given, and feedback from local residents highlighted that there was an appetite to create a community garden in the heart of the village.
Drawing up detailed plans, the garden began to take shape quickly with Garden Lead Laura Robert’s architectural background playing a vital role in the development.
Volunteer Rebecca McCosh explained that Laura pulled inspiration from the village, with the circle shape of the miners’ wheel at the entrance of Newtongrange forming the basis of the plans.
“The abandoned wasteland was transformed into a community garden by volunteers from the village. People of all ages and backgrounds helped in any way they could – either by donating spare garden tools, furniture, bulbs and plants, or by giving up their time to dig, weed, sow and grow”, Rebecca said.
With the garden being a popular community space for many in the village, the garden runs on the ethos of ‘this garden is for everyone to use and enjoy’, but worries surround the cherished space as the garden’s land is marked for future development.
Rebecca explained:
“Given how hugely transformative this garden has proved to be for the village, there is no doubt that the residents wish the garden stayed long term.
“The benefits of this garden are massive. It’s not just about the physical transformation of the land, but also the transformation of attitudes. People have been inspired and empowered by the fact they can make a real difference to their local area and to the environment. New relationships have been forged here, new skills have been acquired here, and new life has been breathed into the space.”
An example of how beneficial the garden is to the community was displayed when the garden was awarded an RHS School Gardening Award at Level 5 for its engagement with local children. This was awarded due to the volunteers’ work with Newtongrange Primary School who often use the space for outdoor learning.
“The garden means something different to every person that visits it. For some, it’s a place to connect with neighbours. For others, it’s a place to learn about sustainability, acquire new skills and knowledge, and grow in confidence. For others, it’s a place to quietly sit and reflect”, Rebecca added.
The garden is maintained by a team of 30 volunteers who tend to the garden on a twice-weekly basis, growing a wide range of fruit and vegetables which are distributed free of charge to the local community through the Newtongrange Development Trust’s pantry.
Newtongrange Community Garden before beginning transformation
Alongside welcoming Newtongrange Primary School to use the space, the community garden hosts a wide range of events throughout the year, from Halloween pumpkin parties to pot-luck picnics in summer, aswell as year round arts and crafts sessions, music sessions and bat-spotting.
Rebecca explained that she believes that Midlothian is lacking community gardens such as the one in Newtongrange:
“Given how beneficial Newtongrange Community Garden has proved itself to be to the local area, we believe every resident in Midlothian should have access to a community garden.”
Despite risks of a development being built on the garden, villagers are still in the dark as to when any of this will take pace with one councillor revealing that the development of the garden area is unlikely to happen within the next 5 to 10 years as the council doesn’t have the money to fund the development.
An area in the centre of Newtongrange around the old swimming pool was marked for future development when the pool was demolished around 8 years ago. A public consultation was held in June 2024 which revealed the development would also include housing which could potentially be extended to the area beside the leisure centre where the community garden is.
Volunteers were very vocal at the consultation that the village wants the garden to remain, leading to the gardeners being assured that if future development did go ahead on the site of the current Community Garden, the council would find an alternative area for the garden to move to.
With a question mark hanging over the future of the community garden, Rebcca explained that gardeners are keen to continue to work with the council to shape the future development so it reflects the needs of the villagers.
“For now, the volunteers at the Community Garden are continuing their good work in the heart of the village with the support of the local residents. And as the months go by, they are proving what an incredible asset this Community Garden is to the area.”
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