Allotment being taken over for pipelaying/tunneling...

[snohare]

I'm with Peter on this one.
It sounds like they are keen to minimise disruption - as they should be - so get them to walk over the ground with you, actually pointing/marking the areas affected by different activities. If they can't do that, ask them if they show you photos of what the job entails - they must have those. Or ask where else they've done this, and speak to landowners there.
Given that they are in the trade of moving soil, they should actually be able to help you. Breaking up compacted sub soil, making soakaways, digging latrine pits, fetching/adding a few digger buckets of manure to the sub soil before relaying topsoil, to them it is a few minutes spent keeping you onside and avoiding big claims...I'd be actively trying to make friends with these guys, you might as well get some good out of this !
Even supposing they just concrete in some crowd control barriers around your site, that's a pretty good security fence that will last ages.
But it might be worth agreeing a value for your crops before you say yes to anything. Get it all in writing, everyone will be happier.

[Lazgaot]

Great news! The water co, have written to all the allotment holders and they have scaled back their initial plans. They will now use all of the car parking area instead and a very tightly controlled perimiter area along the pipeline. This means my plot should hopefully be completely excluded!

A few plots though will be directlly affected (they'll be digging right across the plot) and I really sympathise with them.

What a relief, my onions and garlic can stay put and the 10kg of seed potatoes from the Tattieman will have a place to go! Bring on the warm weather!

[janeyo]

Phew, what a relief, lets hope they stick to their word.....

[Eyren]

Woo-hoo, great news, Lazgaot! And it sounds like the water company are behaving responsibly, which is good for everyone on the site. Nice too to have a happy ending, going into the weekend

[Paulottie]

Glad for you.