Been On waiting list for 5 years!

[EmB]

I wonder if anyone has any advice re the following...

My husband and I have been on our waiting list for an allotment for 5 years. We started off 3rd, 2 plots have since been vacated and relet and we are now 4th. Yes you read that right 4th. We live 1.5 miles from the allotments so within the area. The councils explanation for us going backwards is that they had to start a new list!

There are 25 people on the waiting list and some have been told that they "will be dead before they reach the top"! The problem is the council own land the size of the current allotment site that is let to a local, difficult farmer and they will not end his tenancy and create new allotments.

Myself and 5 others are currenlty in the process of making written representation to the council and pursuing things but wondered if anyone has had a similar experience and could offer any advice.

Thanks

[chris]

Hello, welcome to the forum.

Sorry to hear your predicament, for some people to be told they'll be dead is terrible, I hope they complained.

I can see why the council are keeping the farmers let going, money money money. Where abouts are you?

Dropping down the list is terrible too, I'd definitely include that in your complaint. I don't have much advice to offer, but wanted to drop by and say good luck, and I hope some land frees up for you.

Recently a few plots around me (s.Wales) have freed up.. Not sure why, perhaps people realised it is a lot of work.

Have you looked at landshare?

[Snadger]

I would be agrieved as well.

When I was Secretary of our Association I posted up the waitng list names on the noticeboard so there could be no cheating.

I really got disallusioned with the allotment committee wanting to move there 'pals' further up the list, so I quit. (I know I had more channce of changing attitudes from within but to be honest, all I wanted to do was grow veg, not get into a political dog fight!)

The waiting lists aren't policed by the local council as they should be. They are just happy to get the rent paid......it doesn't matter to them by whom!

Stir the buggers up and make them do the honourable thing!

[EmB]

Hi,

Thanks for your replies. I have had a look into landshare but my husband and i decided it wasn't for us as we had concerns about the permanance of these arrangements. Sadly 100% of the people we have come across that had entered into landshare had been asked to vacate within 2 years.

The attitude of our local council is a huge obstacle. Whilst we have been on the waiting list they have publicly declared that they will not be looking to make further provision for allotments as it is "a cost to many for the benefit of the few" and one councillor stated he could not "understand why people want allotments as vegetables are cheap enough in the supermarkets".

The council chair and clerk have recently changed and their mantra is "we will continue to look for land to meet the demand for allotments" but clearly are doing nothing. We are a rural village surrounded by fields yet they say they can not find land.

We fully intend to fight this as far as we can but sadly the statute re allotments doesn't state a time limit for councils to find land for allotments once they have started "looking".

Oh and one of the plots that was vacated and relet was to an ex councillor (clearly documented in the council minutes)!

[chris]

What about approaching a farmer, and entering into a contract to let some land?

That way, if both parties agree you can enter into a 5year contract, and renew again and again?

Issue is finding a farmer, and then one who'd be willing to give up some land..

Are there any private allotments around you? You may have to travel a bit further, but if you really want some land that may be a viable option. If enough of you are interested you could even look at starting your own up.

I looked at it here, but erring on the side of caution the folk around here, erm aren't the type of people I'd like to buy land with (plus the cost, when looking into is is very expensive, return on it isn't feasible unless you find people willing to pay a lot more than council ran sites).

Other than that, I guess the neighbouring county/towns but I'm sure you've looked at them?

[EmB]

Hi again,

Thanks that is a good idea re a local farmer, it had gone through my mind to be honest but felt I needed to go down the council allotment root as far as possible first. Also some of the local farmers, I am told by the chair of the allotments working group, have a very old fashioned idea of allotments and feel that they may be "slated" for allowing allotments on their land because people think allotments are an eyesore. My husband and I have set up a blogspot to try bring people interested in growing their own produce together and also hopefully raise the profile of modern allotments as being a positive thing for a community rather than the old fashioned view.

We do have some private allotments that are actually closer to us than the council ones and am on that list too and yes as you say I have my name on the list for the next town too, am No.15 on that one :/

A local accountant is actually looking into buying a piece of land to turn into private allotments, he buys the land and then we pay him £200 each for a plot plus pay him back over a set period the remaining money that he paid out for the land and allotment set up, so effectively he is loaning us money to buy land to put allotments on. Initially there was quite a lot of interest from people but that tailed off when the plans became clearer. The concern was if one or more parties failed to pay back their part of the loan who would become liable, most likely the other allotment owners therefore it all got a little complicated.

[chris]

Indeed. Same reason why I didnt, plus the wife would have killed me

Perhaps see if he could half the land size to purchase. Hope the council route works out though.

[EmB]

Thanks, I intend to squeeze 'em as tight as I can

[Angry Janice]

I was on the list for nearly ten years, when I got an allotment I discovered the man who runs it has five, a few other people have three each and so on. The one good thing about the allotment charge going up is this will end and the lists will speed up.

[EmB]

Thats terrible, but sadly, I am discovering, not uncommon. Glad you finally got one

[Newton]

I was on the list for six years and became fed up when I moved down the list. Some entries on the list are more equal than others!! Pester the officer and site sec at every opportunity. Visit the plot as often as you can and chat to the allotment holders and then pester some more. Show them all photos of what you did at home and why you NEED an allotment.

And good luck"......

[chris]

That's a good point, Newton. I emailed my lists every month - the person at the top of the list broke his ankle so couldn't take a plot, and because I was so determined I got the choice of it Other people take too long to respond etc, they're given a week (I even let all the secs on my "email allotment list" know I was going on holiday for a week, incase a plot came up ).. no reply its offered to the next one down. She got sick of waiting for a reply, so knew i'd snap her hand off.. which I did.

[EmB]

Thanks

Its the next Parish Council meeting in a just over a week so will be going. Will keep you posted.

[chris]

I'd definately be vocal in asking why positions are altering in the lists.. as snadger says it looks like it's who you know really.. If i were a site sec, I'd have a publically visible waiting list, either online or on the allotment shed, with obsured names - whenever movement was made, I'd update the list so people could see. Rally the troops and don't forget to take the pitch forks!

[chris]

You could try this too, if you haven't already: http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ost_58450.html