Setting up allotments advice wanted please!

[cornishmaid]

Thanks everyone for more great ideas! keep them coming please!

[Spiderling]

Hi CornishMaid. Are you thinking along the lines of having an Allotment association for your site, with committee etc. when you get set up? This could be a big help for you, regarding the running of it. It also gets people involved with each other and promotes a happy community. Ours is in the process of big changes and we have a site shop, meeting room, raffles etc. to generate funds along with £1 per annum subscription. You could have seed swaps,and a lending library with donated items.
Our Council run site has a tenancy agreement which tries to cover every eventuality and is a double A4 closely scripted document!
I assume you are in a rural area? Hopefully, you won't have problems with security and vandalism as we do in urban settings!
I'm looking forward to hearing of your progress and up-dates! I might re-locate! Cheers!

[cornishmaid]

Things are happening quickly here! I now have set up a website

Cornwall Allotments - Welcome to Cornwall Allotments

Id love some feedback on it if anyone would like to give some, thanks for all your great advice, please keep it coming in!

[Dynamo]

It looks like a nice place. A bit flat though. How far away from the nearest towns and villages are you? The ideal scenario is to be not too far away from your catchment area for tennants, but far enough away from any local idiots who go on wrecking sprees.

[cornishmaid]

Thanks for the feedback, the field is quite flat but well drained, there are sloping fields but this is the easiest to access, we are about one mile from the village and 3 miles from the town so no local idiots to wreck the place!

[SarzWix]

It looks beautiful And the access looks ok too. I'd love to have a plot there, you sound like you'll be a conscientious landlord

[cornishmaid]

Thanks Sarswix, I will do my best to be a conscientious landlord, I want people to be able to enjoy their allotments.

[cornishmaid]

Just set up a guest book on my website please feel free to leave me a message!

[funstuie]

I would say:

No Polllytunnels

Slightly off topic but just out of interest. Why no polytunnels?

[jenjen]

It looks fab. Our allotments don't have water either. But people make up their own solutions - several bore holes hidden away for example - so if you don't provide the water check that you'd be happy with this.

I'd keep paths between plots and people are responsible for keeping them neat. We have strict rules about where we can park and where we can't (the central track is an emergency access road for the trainline) and people are very good at self policing.

Re sheds: depends on what you want to do for cash flow purposes but you could investigate bulk buying sheds and charging more for rent to get the revenue back - ensures they're tidy and where you want them. loses the random structures but would make it look better (depends on whether you want style or character ). There's soem allotments I pass on a motorway near us which do that.

[NOG]

Slightly off topic but just out of interest. Why no polytunnels?

Cos someone will buy one the size of his plot. Then the plot two up will do the same The bloke in the middle will then have no light so will put one up.

Although you don't need planning for them someone will complain and the planners will get involved.

Then its a bucket of pain.

[NOG]

But I would love to have one....

[sez]

My ideal lottie would have a standard shed on each one (cus I'm a neat freak and hate the ramshackle thing ) and a toilet. Definitely a toilet (have a thought for us ladies!) . I don't know how practical/expensive it would be but what about a summer house type construction where people could sit and have a cuppa together?

[dazer]

get one and restrict the sizes. i have one so do most on our site there great

[cornishmaid]

More great advice! thanks everyone, the issue with the polytunnels is regarding planning as you should have planning for tunnels, Not so sure about the idea of putting up sheds then charging more for the plot, what do others think?