Intertidal Allotment

Intertidal Allotment is long-term project by artist Andrew Merritt creating a functional artwork and world-first shoreline community allotment on the Isle of Sheppey.

The project takes inspiration from the traditional allotment form and expands it into the intertidal zone – the area of the seashore that is both covered at high tide and uncovered at low tide – where tidal movements create a unique belt of biodiversity, allowing a variety of organisms, including seaweeds, shellfish and crustaceans to thrive, alongside coastal edible flora such as kales, cabbage and beets.

The coast is a place of great energy, constant change, and rich biodiversity. Intertidal Allotment embraces these qualities, creating a hospitable environment for people to mix and new ideas to seed and grow. By engaging people in community climate action and new biodiversity initiatives, the project seeks to revitalise our relationship to sustainable food production and test experimental methods for reconnecting people with the land and sea.

A work-in-progress, the long-term aim is to develop a modular and sustainable system of structures and allotment ‘plots’ that improve biodiversity, respond to the needs of local people, and which can be replicated in other coastal locations.

The first phase of the project (2021-26) has been a five-year programme of consultation and collaboration with Isle of Sheppey residents, exploring this innovative concept through a series of walks, talks, and hands-on workshops. Alongside ecologists, architects, academics, fabricators, foragers, chefs, and growers, we have experimented with materials, investigated coastal eating, and discovered the natural beauty and history of Sheppey’s coastline. This period also saw the first prototype allotment structures installed at Ship on Shore beach on the north coast of Sheppey to understand how the local flora and fauna respond.

We are now working to grow the allotment and expand the concept to new locations on Sheppey.