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Allotment evictions - what's the policy at your allotments?

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  • #16
    Our allotments are owned by the allotment holders, much to the chagrin of the local council who would love to have them under their control. They were given to our allotment association by the previous landowner when she died about 80 years ago. Most plots are pretty well tended so there's few issues there.

    The biggest problem is with one allotment holder who has about three plots but also helps out lots of other tenants with their plots. He has a haphazard way of managing his plots and even though he spends a lot of time tending them and on close inspection the ground is well worked and weed free, they resemble a jungle.

    The main problem with him though is his unpredictable behaviour. He can be very aggressive if anyone mentions anything to him about things and is always the first one to cry out that he's being threatened and that the secretary or chairman who challenge him are drunk and aggressive.

    He has a large collection of wood, most of which is rubbish, in another allotment holders shed. That allotment holder is his uncle which complicates things a bit and he's also an old man of about 80. He's been wanting his nephew to clear the shed now for six years that I know of but I think the battle has been going on a lot longer than that, and the problem is raised at every annual general meeting. The guy always comes back with "well he's never said he wanted it shifting" which is a blatant lie as he's always saying it. To make the matter even more urgent, the shed in question is made of asbestos so it needs to be dismantled by qualified people as soon as possible, but the people hired to remove it won't touch it until it's emptied.

    The upshot of it all is that at the last AGM he was given a three month warning to either clear the shed or lose his three allotments. The AGM was about six weeks ago but I'll wager he's done nothing in the way of making a start on removing the wood. What will happen when the three months is up is anyone's guess but I reckon nothing will be done and we'll just carry on as before.

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    • #17
      Yes, NVG, I'm sure you're right and that rules rely on people being around to enforce them. I think that has been a problem on our site, too. I think 'allotments' have been very far down the Parish Council's priority list for yonks. I'm not sure why it has changed recently for us, but I'm pleased that it has - as long as they don't evict me!

      What a saga, Dynamo. I'm sure allotment sites all over the UK are full of these stories. It would make an interesting book if someone could be bothered to write it...
      My Autumn 2016 blog entry, all about Plum Glut Guilt:

      http://www.mandysutter.com/plum-crazy/

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      • #18
        When I was down London the allotments originally had a fairly laid back policy, with some members of the committee having a second plot just to store stuff and park their car leaving the rest of the plot go to ruin. Then the local council introduced a health and well-being initiative which included growing spaces, appointed a new allotment officer and had a big overhaul.
        A lot of the over run plots were split into half plots and offered out.

        With so many new plot holders signing contracts was done at a special event promoting the initiative with press, face painting amd a range of activities for the kids.

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        • #19
          Originally posted by Noosner View Post
          Thanks, sparrow and alldigging, sounds like you have very different policies in terms of time allowed to sort things out. Alldigging, if someone is ill or in some other way struggling, are they given any leeway?
          Most of us work full time, so short deadlines for improvement just wouldn't be feasible. We have a long waiting list, but we want to support people to stay - the site's got a lovely feel to it and part of that is how the rules are enforced.

          If a plot were mostly flowers though I don't think it would be accepted - the tenancy is for the growing of vegetables and fruit. We allow chickens and bees, but that is limited in number and dependent on checks for welfare and how many hives there are already in the area.

          I don't know how it works on council-run sites - I hear the inspections are more sporadic.
          http://mudandgluts.com - growing fruit and veg in suburbia

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          • #20
            Originally posted by sparrow100 View Post
            Most of us work full time, so short deadlines for improvement just wouldn't be feasible.
            I am on the same site as Alldigging and I feel that we are very fair with our inspections.

            I also work full time, and am on the committe of not just our Allotment but also two other groups as well as being Treasurer at my local church. Even with all this demand on my time I make sure I can get to my plot to work for a couple of hours at least once as week, normally much more in the summer when the evenings are long and (hopefully) warm.

            It's all about priorities - if working on their plot is so far down someone's own list that it has been allowed to get so out of control that an improvement notice is necessary then maybe they need to re-assess if having an allotment is for them?

            If we give someone an improvement notice we expect them to have at least made a start on getting their plot under control within 14 days, we don't expect it to be made pristine in that short period of time. If someone is not able to make any improvement at all within 14 days because of not having enough spare time then how do they expect to ever be able to properly work a plot?

            If a plot starts to improve within this timescale we then monitor it to make sure that there is continuous improvement throughout the year - what we don't want is to issue an improvement letter, get a plot holder down to blitz it for a weekend who then aren't seen again until the next letter three or four months later.

            If someone is unable to meet the improvement deadline due to family circumstances or illness then we make allowances and work with them to sort out an achievable deadline by when they will be able to make a start.

            What we don't want is to see allotments get overgrown and weedy and any crops that could have been harvested lying on the ground rotting.

            We would rather have enthusiastic plot holders who attend the site regularly, doing little but often than only see someone on site three times a year doing the bare minimum to their plot to delay the next inevitable first warning letter - again.

            Andy
            Last edited by Samurailord; 18-04-2016, 04:50 PM.
            http://vegpatchkid.blogspot.co.uk/ Latest Blog Entries Friday 13 Mar 2015 - Sowing Update

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            • #21
              I'm curious to know what prompted you to resurrect this old thread?

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