allotment advice

[seanbadger]

Hi Everyone,

I've been the proud owner of my allotment for nearly a year now (about 9 months). It is a council allotment and up until now everythign has been good (apart from still not having received a copy of the signed agreement i sent them).

In the last week or 2 i have had 7 panes of glass broken by people throwing stones through them. I have contacted the council to ask what they can do and the man who runs it is on holiday.

My problem is (apart from the broken glass and money to replace it) is that the allotment fencing around the area has been non existent in places for quite a while, all the while the council have been taking rent. It was my understanding that the assosciation/council running the allotment scheme is responsible for providing fencing/hedging around the allotment area, is this correct.

Don't get me wrong, just last year they erected some lovely big green metal gates to stop people fly tipping as they then had to pay to have the junk removed, but theres nothing inplace to stop people just walking through the site and vandalising things.

Greenhouse wise I'm planning on replacing the glass with polycarb and erecting a "fruit cage" style cage around the greenhouse so if the little @@@@'s persist it may lessen the damage, but they can still just walk in and trash the area.

Many thanks for any advice

Sean

[Alison]

It'll depend on your agreement. My plot has no security fencing or anything like that and people can just walk through if they see fit. Worth raising but unless your contract says they have to provide something then they don't - assuming you can remember what is in your contract seeing as you haven't had it back............

[rogesse]

Isn't funny how they're always on holiday - I want a job with the council!

[organic]

Not just always on holiday either...
...they tend to go home between 3 and 4pm, earlier on a Friday.

[Snadger]

Not just always on holiday either...
...they tend to go home between 3 and 4pm, earlier on a Friday.

Don't we all?

[Storming Norman]

My allotment neighbours had stuff pinched earlier this year - the council told them to call the police. So they did, en mass.

I sort of gather that the police told the council off for not fixing the fences - especially as they do now whenever we leave a message [they get damaged a bit by the local kids as we are located in the local park].

Recently the council staff have taken to locking the park up without checking if anyone is in the allotment first - they drive round the park and check the public areas but just don't come near us [or even toot]. 6 people of various ages have had to climb the main gates this summer to get out. [One had her child with her [and had to leave the pushchair behind] two others had to leave their bikes behind.

One called the police about that and caused a major incident with the council - this one should run on a bit........

[organic]

Snadger - I wish!

Norman - sounds like the lot at your place have got the right approach. Fuss-making is so often the only way.

[seanbadger]

thats the one good thing about the nice big new gates, they have a key that all allotment holders can get a copy of so we have free access 24/7 (should we be out at night and fancy chasing some slugs)

[organic]

That's the sort of set up we have now. 8 foot high security fencing all around the site and big gates with padlocks all members can get a key for.
Lots of spiky bits and where there's a spot without the spikes, there's barbed wire... we do have some rather determined natives around our site so even then there's occasionally some damage (about a year ago I believe some kids from the local school cam down the lane and started throwing stones over the fence and hitting the cars parked nearby. Thankfully my plot is a bit further from the gates though so unless they find a way in or someone leaves the gate unlocked I shouldn't have any bother. (Watch, now I've said that some bugger will get in and cultivate/torch my plot just before harvest and leave all the ones closer to the gate untouched.)