allotments under threat

[raine]

Hi all,
I've only had ny allotment for a year but already am very fond of my small patch of stone infested, weed ridden, lumpy old ground so it is with some worry that i've been reading lately that our council is looking into selling off a lot of land (including some allotments) to meet it's proposed budget next year. Our allotments have a fairly good take-up but we have no committee as such and there are definitely some spare plots. i just wondered if there are any more plot holders out there facing the same problem or if anyone else has faced the same problem -and won!
Raine

[Pottypotter]

Hopefully my plot is safe but I can sympathise, I have put a lot of hard work into my plot since getting it at the end of last year the amount of rubbish I have dug up, old wheels glass window frames you wouldn't believe it and the weeds I have pulled up, it must be a worry for any one with an allotment that the local council will sell it of for building housing on.

[dexterdoglancashire]

Apparently Preston City Council have "future" plans for developing land near the Ribble, which I think may cover part of the allotment sites they have. My site is across the road, so hopefully it wont be included, but there is now a waiting list for plots on our site, and the one next door where Eternal Sunshine was lucky enough to get one has a good take up rate as well. If the council do decide they want our site, they will have to fight me - as you say, we all put lots of hard work and effort, and are very proud of our lotties, so they shouldn't be allowed to take them off us and use the ground for housing.
Bernie aka Dexterdog

[Pottypotter]

Hopefully my plot is safe but I can sympathise, I have put a lot of hard work into my plot since getting it at the end of last year the amount of rubbish I have dug up, old wheels glass window frames you wouldn't believe it and the weeds I have pulled up, it must be a worry for any one with an allotment that the local council will sell it of for building housing on.

Not to mention the greenhouse and the shed we have taken down there and put up.

[bubblewrap]

Hello Raine all I suggest you do is all the allotment holders do is get together & approach a local councilor and get him on your side.
Open space in our cities & towns is too valuable to be covered in concrete!

[Snadger]

We've got an AGM coming up (the only meeting of the year!) and I might try and get some information about the 'Councils' future plans. They are surely legally bound to give a lot of (10yrs?) years notice of any plans for the site aren't they?
New allotment holders should be told of any future plans and allotmenteers would have to be compensated both monetarily and given a similar plot locally, wouldn't they?
My heart goes out to anyone who's allotment is under threat as I would be gutted if they tried to take mine off me, and they wouldn't get it without a fight!

[Percy T]

I feel for you, I have only recently got an allotment and it wasnt till I was trying to get one I discovered that one allotment site in our area had been sold of for housing development.

our site is quite small and so are the plots think this is to allow for demard. I believe there are several people on the waiting list for plots. However our site used to be at least twice the size it is now and the space is still there so if it came to it, maybe we could get the council to extend the site again.