Rules for Allotments

[alldigging]

I would have thought "keep the verges tidy" was quite clear, but apparently not.

Indeed. Vague rules ...
We added a few


29. Cultivated space allows for reasonable paths, which can be of grass or other materials. Grass is not an allotment crop. Any grass on a plot (paths, sitting areas) to be kept short to prevent weed seeds.
Weedall is acceptable.


30. Use the definition of cultivated as: used for the growing of predominantly edible crops with weeds kept to a minimum and an increasing percentage of plot being cultivated each inspection until a maximum has been reached.


It's still probably too vague.

[Two_Sheds]

Grass is not an allotment crop.

Rye grass? (as a green manure)

[alldigging]

Rye grass? (as a green manure)

It's not an edible crop.
If you were only growing rye grass then that's not really be cultivating ...



And when you mow your plot that doesn't count as cultivation in my book

[Mikey]

I haven't erected a shed on my plot, but I have asked if I can put a greenhouse up. I was told as long as it doesn't exceed 6 x 4 then that would be ok. Sometimes its better to ask first, saves a lot of hassle further down the line.

[WendyC]

We're not allowed sheds only tool boxes not exceeding 4'6". We've only 2.5 rods anyway so a big shed would be a waste of growing space. Not allowed greenhouses as considered a permanent structure, recently agreed at AGM to allow small (8x6).polytunnels as long as they are sited on your southern boundary so any shade cast is on your own plot. No-one rushed to put one up yet.

[Alison]

Whenever I read these threads I am so relieved that we have a nice relaxed site without a committee to enforce rules like this. Basically our only rule is that we consider the neighbouring plots and we don't really have arguments or restrictions on what we erect. A friend of mine is only allowed built structures of a certain colour etc and they can only be in the top left corner of the plot etc - totally pointless. Nobody on our site wants to waste loads of space with huge sheds but do want somewhere to hide from the rain and greenhouses and tunnels are very handy.

PS - rye grass is defo a valid crop, as is my comfrey

[darcyvuqua]

Whenever I read these threads I am so relieved that we have a nice relaxed site without a committee to enforce rules like this. Basically our only rule is that we consider the neighbouring plots and we don't really have arguments or restrictions on what we erect. A friend of mine is only allowed built structures of a certain colour etc and they can only be in the top left corner of the plot etc - totally pointless. Nobody on our site wants to waste loads of space with huge sheds but do want somewhere to hide from the rain and greenhouses and tunnels are very handy.

PS - rye grass is defo a valid crop, as is my comfrey

Sounds a lot like my site although there are also down falls with being to relaxed!!!

[alldigging]

So Alison what happens if someone wants to grow nothing but put up huge sheds?

[Alison]

So Alison what happens if someone wants to grow nothing but put up huge sheds?

To be honest it wouldn't really bother me as it wouldn't be on my plot but people get plots to basically grow stuff so on the whole that's what we're all doing. Far too busy on my own site to get carried away about what other people are doing on theirs, most of them don't do things like I do but that's entirely up to them. Actually now I come to think of it one of the plots is half covered in a huge chicken shed but that just gives me somewhere to throw my slugs

[hellybore]

The guy on the next allotment to me put up an ex bird aviary on his plot to use as half shed, half greenhouse - he covered the wire mesh part with plastic. Even though we are allowed to have both a shed and a greenhouse on our plots, he was told to board the mesh/plastic side up. Reason? You are not allowed a shed/greenhouse hybrid, only seperate constructions. Rules for rules sake...

[Indigo23]

Now that is really kinda ridiculous!

[toby6668]

Wonder what they'd make of my new polydome construction? Lucky for me we're on private allotments and the owner loves the idea of the dome.

[alldigging]

Reason? You are not allowed a shed/greenhouse hybrid, only seperate constructions. Rules for rules sake...

This might be due to planning constraints on the site.

Rules are rules though. If you allow someone to have a combined one, then the next step is have one a bit bigger, and then the next one a bit bigger and before you know it you have an allotment site that looks like a shanty town.
Which isn't nice for neighbours to look at, breaches planning and might cause issues with relation to building regulations.

Nice standard size contructions are going to be - on the whole - safer, within planning guidelines and not need any building regs man visiting.

We have rules about 8x6 being maximum size and sheds must be made of wood.
Whilst someone on our committee thought it was ok to approve a 13x9 structure - the council didn't allow this. We'd had a neighbour come and ask us what it was within days of it being put up.
In the end the guy had to take it down and take it away.
That caused all sortsof upset for the person who'd been told they could have the oversize building. All because one person felt they could say yes to whatever someone asked.

Rules are there so everyone knows where they stand.

The fact some sites are made of sensible people and some aren't is the reason why sites need rules.

We haven't made excessive rules.

We've never added a rule saying you can't sleep overnight in your shed p*ssed up for 3 days or ban people's wives from coming and trying to set fire to the shed whilst he's in it.
I suspect we probably should have though.

Common sense is great. Shame not everyone has it.

[SarzWix]

All of that is irrelevant if the OP's site rules don't mention a no sheds or no greenhouses rule though, isn't it?

Like Alison, I'm glad to be on a site which has no such rules. Our site doesn't look like a 'shanty town' either, it looks like a place where people are still allowed to use their initiative and building skills without being in thrall to the capitalist machine...

[zazen999]

Neither does ours but we have had the shanty town look in the past and the general rule is 'ask first'...which has led to a big of 'keeping up with the Joneses' on the site. The standard of greenhouse quality has picked up pretty rapidly since all the plots were let.