Selfsufficientish.com

I've just got a letter, our council is proposing a new allotment area, and are canvessing all the houses on our estate about it's viability, they have asked for comments and questions, I've got some things that I'd like to ask, but they are all on a fairly personal to use basis, rather than on a new site being set up basis, so is there anything I should be asking.

I would love to get one of these as they are going (if it happens) to be 2 minutes walk from our front door, and I must admit struggling with it at the moment, mainly because with the three kids, Mrluvpie working full time, me part time but feeling worn out with the pregnancy at the moment the 15 minute walk to our current plot, just means that we don't get there as often as we should, where as these proposed plots the older kids could actually run round there and water things, rather than it have to be a big planned trip to the allotment.

So I call on the more experienced plot holders, what do you wish your plot had? What do you wish you had been able to suggest all those years ago when your plot was first set up?

(Am I allowed to be alittle dissapointed that with the council sending the letter to everyone, now everyone knows about the community orchard that is hidden behind the trees, behind the little pub, rather than just a select few??? )

Sarahx

Number 1 , has got to be a decent water supply. I Imagine that they would install that anyway . but it's worth making sure.

What provision is being made for access to the plots (you don't want extra cars parked everywhere), what form of security is being provided (you don't want every vandal and their friends attracted to the area to remove tools, sheds, produce if access is easy), who is going to actually run the site (council officials are often less efficient than a local gardeners association or other form of on-site management to prevent neighbourhood disputes between allotment holders and surrounding houses e.g over bonfires, dumping of rubbish, badly maintained plots causing weed seeds to blow into neighbouring gardens) are all essential questions.

Next set of questions relate to what sort of traffic flow will there be whilst the physical site is being set up - will there be teams of workmen required to measure out and mark the plots, put in access in the form of paths and arrange such things as water supply (think digging up the road if so) and erecting security fences. There will have to be some form of fencing go in to mark the boundary of the site so they might as well do a proper job (wooden fences fall over and burn far too easily if there is a vandalism problem within say 5 miles!).

Next set of questions relate to timescale - when? After which the question is who will be running the waiting list at which point you can ask to see if you can go on it. Long way down the scale of what needs to happen is you getting a plot on a new site.

Thinking fencing....make it rabbit proof!

I've seen allotments that have that HERAS type fencing sunk 2 ft, we just have post and rail so every rabbit for 100 miles sets up home here and breeds despite internal chicken wire round each patch.