Custodians of The Leng Home Estate
The estate is a beloved heritage asset and well-used greenspace for which we are the custodians. With over three acres of grounds, there is especially exciting scope for extending and fulfilling our environmental aims, whilst continuing to make adaptations to the buildings (The Leng Home, The Gardener’s Cottage, and Kiln House) to reduce emissions. The gardens are hugely popular, from daily dog walkers to forestry classes, they are perpetually busy. They’re a site for food foraging, a home to a growing population of red squirrels and bats, and place of peaceful sanctuary. The blend of mature woodland, hedgerows, curated borders, purposeful wilderness, food growing plots, and accessible lawns provide a diverse range of habitats for animals, plants, microorganisms, and humans alike.
As custodians of the land, as well as protecting it, we maintain and develop it. This is for the betterment of the environment and to increase accessibility so that all visitors may benefit from its health improving effects. Custodial responsibility extends to mitigating for external threats which aren’t limited to the climate emergency. The estate had previously been identified as a key development site for commercial housing and developers continue to insist on the sale of the land for this use. We have committed in this action plan, our new business plan, and publicly as a membership organisation, that the site will be cultivated for the benefit of our community and as an as a site for climate action. This commitment is echoed by our partners, especially the Scottish Land Fund and Fife Council, as well as the communities we serve.
Our overarching environmental aim is Beyond Net Zero. We will meet Net Zero 2045 and go beyond it, working closely with our community, to extract more carbon and GHGs than we produce. We embrace the principles of a Just Transition and will take a collective response that ensures equitable access to meaningful action.
