damn councils

[davetheforker]

guildford borough council are after "regenerating" the area around where our allotments are,thats including the allotment site as well.
they reckon on building something like 2,000 dwellings its crazy the roads around the area cant cope with the traffic they take now let alone any more.

they said they will offer us somewhere else as an allotment site,they offered us a farm of which the farmer has not long comitted suicide after a long and expensive court battle with the council and environment agency,over who was responsible for the land flooding every winter.
what good would that be for an allotment?you put the goodness into the ground in the spring only to be washed out in the winter,anyway they were told,not in these words we dont think its suitable for an allotment.

[scarletrunner]

Enough to sway any conservative voting gardener!

[davetheforker]

believe me scarletrunner guildford borough council will never be anything but conservative.

[FionaH]

believe me scarletrunner guildford borough council will never be anything but conservative.

Aint that the truth!

As you say the roads round there barely cope as it is. Is this final yet or just an idea being thrown around?

[Dottie]

Yep Bellfields and Slyfield area is already a mix of too many houses and a huge industrial area. Traffic jams, concrete jungle and large lorries blotting the landscape. They wouldn't even dare suggest building on the nice allotment site at the top of Farnham Road, as the folk who have those plots have the nice big houses close by.

[Suky]

I'm guessing you've been offered land on Clay Lane ( I work at Sainsburys) and I would say that is not suitable unless it is away from the river and they put good access. My understanding is that they have to have your agreement before they can move you and that the new land must be ready to use ie:not just a field. Stick to your guns and fight. Do you belong to the Allotment Assn?

[FionaH]

Clay Lane? That land has been flooded every year since I was a nipper!

[Two_Sheds]

Your rights depend on what type of allotment you have. There are three types of allotment:
- permanent allotments - these cannot be sold or used for other purposes without the consent of the Secretary of State
- temporary allotments - these are not protected from disposal and can therefore be sold
- privately-owned land - this can also be let for use as allotments but is not protected from disposal by your local council

What happens if the local council wants to dispose of the land?

If your local council’s allotment authority wants to sell an allotment site, it must have the consent of the Secretary of State.
The allotment authority must also fulfill certain conditions including consultation with plotholders.
If the application is successful, the allotment authority has to provide an alternative site.
If an allotment authority ends a tenancy, the plot holder is entitled to compensation.
If your allotment is temporary or on privately owned land, then the Secretary of State's consent is not required but the allotment authority will usually need to give you 12 months' notice to quit

Guide to renting an allotment : Directgov - Home and community

[Two_Sheds]

"we recommend that any 'temporary' site which has been in continuous use as allotments for thirty years or more be automatically redesignated as 'statutory', subject to an appeal by the local authority to the Secretary of State"

House of Commons - Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs - Fifth Report

[Two_Sheds]

NSALG will help you fight the council - there's a questionnaire you can fill in and send to them: http://www.nsalg.org.uk/uploads/arti...0to%20site.pdf

[Two_Sheds]

guildford borough council ... reckon on building something like 2,000 dwellings

Are any developers actually building in this economic climate? The council may well force you off the land and still not be able to sell it to a developer

Hang in there, fight them.

Once your land is gone, it's gone forever

[davetheforker]

I'm guessing you've been offered land on Clay Lane ( I work at Sainsburys) and I would say that is not suitable unless it is away from the river and they put good access. My understanding is that they have to have your agreement before they can move you and that the new land must be ready to use ie:not just a field. Stick to your guns and fight. Do you belong to the Allotment Assn?

its funny you should say that because it used to be run by stoke and district allotment society.
it is now run by guildford allotment society which was set up by the council i believe,we now have a comittee not voted in by anyone with a long list of rules.the head warden is obsessed with shutting the gate,even on a sunday morning when the allotment shop just outside the gate is open and people are carting stuff backwards and forwards to their plots.

[Suky]

Clay Lane? That land has been flooded every year since I was a nipper!

Didn't Noah park his ark there for a bit?



Ducks for cover (again)

[davetheforker]

Didn't Noah park his ark there for a bit



Ducks for cover (again)

i do believe that is true yes