What next?

[dann]

Looking for a bit of advice, My wife and I are keen to take on an allotment as we have both been keen gardeners all our lives and have been living in the area for over two years. We visited the local allotments to see if any were available and counted about ten which were derelict, with overgrown 3 foot high weeds collapsed sheds and broken or missing fencing and at least half of them with no sign of cultivation. All of them will need a lot of work to put back into a usable condition. After finding the local secretary(?) we approached him to apply for one and were told quite simply none were available, end of. We don't want to cause any bad feeling, but at the same time we won't be fobbed off. All we want to do is carry on gardening, which after all is supposed to be a hobby isn't it? So my question is do we apply direct to the council or do we approach other committee members. Other people on the site could not have been more helpful, and I got the impression that they would be quite happy for someone to actually use the land rather than let it go to waste.

[rustylady]

If it is a council site then approach the council.

[Bigmallly]

If the overgrown plots are allocated then there should be something written in their agreement that the plot has to be cultivated for x period of time & should be evicted if not.

[mothhawk]

They may be privately owned allotments. There are some privately owned ones in my village. The allotments are passed down in the family when the original owner dies, but often the subsequent owner has moved away and no longer lives in the village, or has no interest in growing veg, but they won't sell, because, after all, it is costing them nothing, it was a gift, and may become extremely valuable if a builder casts his eyes upon it and offers substantial sums to owners. I would say nearly half are unworked here, and mostly covered in 6ft high brambles.

[WendyC]

Sounds like you need to do a bit of research into the status of your local plots. Probably the council, there may be some information on their website. Are there any others nearby? Although obviously the nearest would be the best.

[dann]

Thanks for the tips. I'll do a bit more digging to find out if they are council or private.