Getting on the list?

[kentishgal]

How long does it take to get on the list for allotments in general??
I phoned up the council on 19/6 to put my name down and have phoned again today just to check a few details and was told my name hadnt even gone on the list yet! I knew the waiting list for an allotment was likely to be years but I had no idea the waiting list for the waiting list would take ages too!!
I was told they would email me when I was accepted....(TBH I cant even remember giving my email address over the phone!!). Annoyingly there is nobody I can talk to directly just the general council offices who cant give me any real info.

As I dont want to be a nuisance about it how long should I wait before I check back with them??

[Kleftiwallah]

I should go down the personally and get the information down while you are there, and take a note of the person's name who puts you on the list.

Cheers, Tony.

[rustylady]

What Tony said. Don't worry about being a nuisance, that's what they are paid for.

[Currysniffa]

Being a bit of a nuisance could chivy them a long a bit . I'd go in and see someone about getting on the lottie list.

[alldigging]

Ask the name of the person you spoke to.

Have a look first for the info on allotments - whether they publish a list of where they are. Go and visit a few allotments near you too.

You could always follow up your phone call with a letter to the person at the council.

If lists are huge (or closed!) then start looking locally for people who also want allotments and then find some waste land and see if you can convince the council to let you have it.

[kentishgal]

Thanks, I'll have to go down the council offices and enquire in person I think! I usually walk past the lottie site at least once a day but never see anybody there to ask.
I honestly dont mind waiting however long it takes just as long as I know Im on the list (and not waiting in vain!!LOL).

[alldigging]

If you speak to someone in person make sure they see you writing their name down.
It's not rude at all to do so.

[SarrissUK]

I'm so lucky that our allotment people are quite switched on and use a system that can be used online. Pester them until you're on the list!

[Alison]

I sent my original applications by e-mail. The main council didn't send me a confirmation so I contacted them again. Seems I wasn't on the list as they'd not processed the application. As it was online they found it and told me that they'd back dated my application. Have no idea if they had or not but at least they sounded apologetic. I also contacted the local parish council and was e-mailed back the next day with details of the length of waiting lists at the nearest sites. They then e-mailed me a few times until a plot became available and I took it. About a couple of months later I got a phone message and then knock on the door from somebody in relation to a plot on one of the main council sites which is actually the site I had originally wanted. By that time I'd already made a good start on the parish council one so stuck with that but actually the plot I have is bigger and more relaxed ie no strict rules and regulations / social activities so I'm glad I'm where I am

[Esplanade]

our advice - having just sat there on a list for 3 years with nothing happening - is to push and push until you're satisfied that you are being 'cared' for.

don't want to 'advertise' our blog.. but it's a read that might help someone who is really more serious about getting a lottie - than the council are about handing them out..

good luck :-)

[Thelma Sanders]

Once I was on the list, I emailed the council every few months to find out where I'd got to on the list. I think in the end they just got fed up with me

[Snadger]

We have one plot on our site that we can't let. I've even reduced the priice and put a notice on the allotment gates for interested parties to get in touch. Showed one person round it recently who asked if we would halve it as it was too big.
If you want a 10 rod plot at Denton Dene Allotments for £30 until April then £40 annually please PM me as this is the last plot available and previous Secretary has done a runner with whatever waiting list we had.
Plot would be ideally suited to keeping chickens and veg growing.

[Thelma Sanders]

Now there's a bargain

[veggiechicken]

Its a bit too far for me Snadge but if I lived closer........

[Alison]

We've got 3 abandoned plots on our site although I met a couple who are taking one of them on last Sunday. Apparently they were offered one of the others originally but went for that one because it has some established fruit bushes. Am hoping that they give it a good go, unlike the last lot that just built a decked area, threw down some weed killer and then never came again.