What does your site provide ??

[Beetroot Bob]

Our local athority seem very reluctant to give us any support or maintain the site (fence & gates etc). They're trying to push a new tenancy agreement on us that will stop s lighting fires. They stopped providing skips last year (before that we had 3 a year) and won't even give us green wate recycling bins for the site. I know we're lucky that we're able to get a council site because it's a council owned site we can't get grants to pay for things that would improve the site (e.g. fence etc).

Thought I'd do a quick pole to see what you guys get in the way of facilities (shed's, toilets, skips etc....).

I may even print your replies and post them to th council

Thanks

[Nicos]

1st site ( council)
water
a main gate (and a height restriction bar to keep the gypsy caravans out)
Nothing else.

2nd site (private)
a main gate
nothing else

[Beetroot Bob]

Main gate - what about the fence ??

We've patched ours until it can be patched no more after too many visits from light fingered wasters

[Nicos]

both had two strands of barbed wire round the perimeter

are we comparing rural and town lotties I wonder???

[tigress60]

We have just been given land by our local parish council
but it is a bare soil plot
we are a self managed society
so we have to provide everything
Fencing,gates, water we have to cut out our own plots turn over the soil no toilets not recycling.
We pay the coincil a rent for the land which as recommended is £10 per 10 rod plot for bare soil by national allotment society NSALG
if they wish to charge you more then fight them we did they wanted to charge £60 per 10 rod plot
This is shown in a case bought to the Queens Bench in 1981 HARWOOD VS BOROUGH of RIEGATE AND BANSTEAD
if anybody wants details on this feel free to pm your details will forward a copy of this
oh by the way i am chairperson of our allotment society if it helps

[bubblewrap]

New security fencing 2008.
Skip (bonfires not permitted)
3 water taps for 22 plots.

[kiwirach]

locked gates....fences are by way of house back garden fences.
on our side 2 water troughs
1 rubbish removal/yr
1-2 compost &/or manure delivery/yr.
can have bonfires, shed and non glass greenhouses.
we get the paths mowed once in a blue moon as well.

however, our site is split by a stream and the council are not going to renew or repair the rickerty bridge that connects the two. the other side, i believe has a gated entrance.

[Bex]

Gosh I feel so lucky. We have a strong security fence, locked gates. We have sheds in blocks, I have to share as I have a half plot. A toilet block that is kept clean and tidy, a pavilion for meetings/get togethers with a kitchen (kettle, fridge, toaster, microwave).

Tarmac'd roads, stores which sells most things. Taps dotted about frequently, I'm allowed a fire between october and march after 4pm, also allowed a greenhouse and shed. Deliveries of grass cuttings, leaves and manure.

This is a council run site and it's grounds are mowed frequently. We do a lot of fund raising ourselves for any extras that we need. The only thing we don't have is rubbish collection but the council tip is only 5 minutes away.

[Hans Mum]

self managed site, council responsible for external fencing & gate, this year they provided new fencng for the whole perimeter on condition we errected it which is happening slowly. 12-15 water taps for 60 plots but we pay the bill and some folks abuse it and dont water dilligently or leave taps running local councillor pays for a skip twice a year, local tree surgeon drops off shredded bark for an occassional crate of lager (we charge 50p big barrow load to pay for lager)
equipment: strimmers, rotavators, mowers all ours & we pay for it through fundraising
we are currently fundraising for loos & are building a permanent 'gazebo' thingy for bbq's & tea breaks.

[zazen999]

We get the soil.

They rotavate and clear it before handing it over.

No water
No facilities
No fence
No skip

Just the land.

£15 per year.

[marathon]

We are very lucky on our site as a few of us have some good contacts

we are also a self managed site. We have external fencing & locked gates with one being for car access. We have 30 plots with water supply for every four plots. The council arrange for a skip once a year, normally towards the end of the season.

We have a community equipment shed which houses things like rotavators, strimmers, lawn mowers hedge trimmers etc.

We have made friends with a friendly organic beef farmer who delivers 3.5 tonnes of oragnic manure whenever required for £20 and I made friends with a tree surgen who delivers wood chip for free when ever we need it. We can also get those blue barrels for waterbutts as another plot holder has a good contact.

[/QUOTE]

[Beetroot Bob]

We do have 4 taps for 42 plots (we pay the bills) and a commnity shed (we paid for and bilt) with strimmer, rotavator and small shop (all bought through fund raising).

We're not really that bad off. The problem seems to be the council don't want to keep thier end of the deal and becase it's the concil's responsibilty our funding bids are trned down becase it's p to the council. :-( Think it's time to start knocking on the concilors door !!!

Thanks people.

[binley100]

We have gates and security fencing. Keys are £10 returnable deposit. There is a large hut with a kitchen (for teas, coffe, bacon butties, cakes on Sat mornings) There are loos, Large water tanks around the site, Equipment ,and sales of fertilisers, compost etc. Regular drops of bark chippings and grass cuttings. We have a spring cleanup with glass skips once a year. At the moment there is a team of Community Payback doing general maintenance aroungf the site at weekends and clearing some old overgrown plots. It is run as an Allotment Association on land leased off the council. Been going since 1900's. We have a half plot which is 1/8th acre and rent is £23 per year.
Phew.......

[Hazel at the Hill]

The problem seems to be the council don't want to keep thier end of the deal and becase it's the concil's responsibilty our funding bids are trned down becase it's p to the council. :-( Think it's time to start knocking on the concilors door !!!

It doesn't really matter what other sites have - saying 'the Council fully maintain the fences in Lincolnshire' isn't going to cut much ice with your council in Pontypool, I wouldn't think.

We all know that budgets are tight - and that if a council can drag it's feet then it will - so make it easy as possible for them to say yes.

If you put a proposal forward to the council - via your local freindly councillor - with what you would like doing (fences, water, gates, resurfacing of roads etc etc) then cost it up using council approved contractors (you can get the list of approved companies from the council procurement dept).

Even if the council don't agree to all of your wish-list, a trade off for not doing the things which will wait, might be to do the thing that you really need doing.

[SarzWix]

We have a half erected security fence, and unlocked gates. We are responsible for the fences around our own plot. We have no water, no loos, no muck deliveries, no shop, no skips, no anything unless we arrange and pay for it personally.
Fires are allowed except on Sundays, and not during school hours (we adjoin the primary school field).
Our rent is £32 per plot per year, and I have no idea what the money is used for because we see no benefit from it...