Petition to provide more allotments - please sign

[Dave]

There are still not enough allotments in the UK and it's about time we all did something about it!

Please, please can you all sign the e-petition below and forward it to as many like minded people you can think of? It would be great if everyone who had an allotment AND everyone on the waiting list could sign up.

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/more-allotments/

[inishindie]

Great stuff... Hope it goes well

We could do with something like that in Ireland.... Interest is growing....

Cheers

Ian

[transitionallotments]

I agree that there should be more allotments. It seems crazy that the governemnt is pouring money into encouraging people to eat more veg and take more exercise - then if they decide to do something about it, they have to queue for years before they are allowed to start.

We have just collected data on allotment waiting lists showing that on average, for every 100 plots available in England, there are 49 people waiting.

I would be interested, though, to know why you say in the petition that the Gov is breaking the law with regard to allotment provision.

[craig.r]

I read somewhere that if you find a piece of wasteland and 6 people write to the local council asking for that land to use as an allotment then by law they have to let you have it. obviously it has to be owned by the council and not greenbelt or protected land. Not sure if this is true but thats what i read somewhere.

[kompost krazy]

I think I signed this some time ago, via a link from another forum.
Unfortunately, we now have a new government...
Do we need to do the petition all over again?

[AngeB]

I think I missed the boat for this petition unfortunately. I recently found out that there's approx 4 year wait for the local allotments. I've just sent a letter to the farmer of the land opposite our house as it used to be a pyo farm and since he's opened a farm shop of allegedly 'local' stuff he's left fields to go overrun - there's still the stands that used to hold strawberry plants - now with weeds growing up them, much like the old machine that used to harvest the potatoes. It's quite sad to see, but I have my fingers crossed he'll let me rent some!

[chuck_n_grace]

Hi,
I'm not too familar with UK allotments. Are these parcels of government owned land? If you get an allotment do you need to pay some sort of fee? Can you automatically lose your allotment for some rule violation?

Regards,
Chuck

[grahamhobbs]

Ch.uck n grace, yes yes yes to your queries.

As to allotment law, I have heard that the law regarding allotments was rescinded (by mistake really) as part of the Smallholding Act a few years back. This means that allotments are in limbo at the moment, which means if your allotments are leased from your council, the council cannot renegotiate the current lease. It would also mean that your council is under no obligation to provide new allotments. Although I think the government is currently promoting a bill devolving things to local government under which allotments would come under their control.

Our allotments are under a Tory controlled council, they are trying to get shot of their allotments either to allotment members (if they are willing to take on the responsibilities) or to private managers. The Council refuses to negotiate with the Federation representing all the various allotment sites in the borough but is insisting on negotiating with each individual site. this alone suggests that they are up to no good.

Last year they doubled the rents (although as we are a leased site they could not impose this on us because of above). Now they want to impose a further trebling of the rents. All this despite the fact that the finances show that the borough actually make a small profit from the allotments already.

With 'the big society', watch out community projects and allotments are going to be under attack.

[roger ramjet]

Short circuit the bureacracy by advertising in your local paper or shop window for anyone willing to let you use part of their garden as a vegetable or fruit growing. Their are a lot of elderly homeowners with large gardens who are unable to maintain them any more. In return for a cutting their grass or a bit of weeding they may be more than happy to see their garden come to life again.

I've done that twice with great success.


Roger Ramjet

[SouthernDave]

Short circuit the bureacracy by advertising in your local paper or shop window for anyone willing to let you use part of their garden as a vegetable or fruit growing. Their are a lot of elderly homeowners with large gardens who are unable to maintain them any more. In return for a cutting their grass or a bit of weeding they may be more than happy to see their garden come to life again.

I've done that twice with great success.


Roger Ramjet

That's not a bad idea. Similar thing near us wereby the local council couldn't/wouldn't get new land for allotments. A public meeting was called and advertised for the people on the waiting list, who together lobbied the council for help. After a few meetings, the council eventually found a bit of farmland and negotiated between the allotment committee and the landowner to a successful end. Shouldn't have to be like this though......

In my town I am still waiting...........