Lincoln: Walled garden taken over by new community group

The gardens include elements connected to Lincoln's twin cities in China and Germany

A city green space will be "returned to its past splendour" after a council agreed to hand it to a community trust.

City of Lincoln Council voted in favour of handing the John Dawber Gardens, at the Lawn, to a newly-formed trust.

The change will save the council around £14,000 a year in maintenance costs.

The walled garden celebrates the work of Lincolnshire botanist Sir Joseph Banks and is open to the public from 08:00 GMT to 17:00 seven days a week.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service the Dawber Gardens Community Trust has agreed a five-year lease for nominal rent.

City of Lincoln Council said it could not afford necessary repairs or upkeep due to financial pressure.

Councillor Bob Bushell, portfolio holder for remarkable place at City of Lincoln Council, said: "It's great news that this community group has come forward and will strive to improve this unique green space for the good of the whole city.

"The gardens are closely linked to our twin cities in Germany and China, and so it will be great to have them returned to their past splendour and I look forward to seeing the outcome of the group's hard work."

The community trust said it would use a combination of volunteer works, business investment and external funding to manage the site.