People not wanting plots anymore?

[AshitabaDave]

Hello,
In the town where I live(Daventry) there are about 6 sites and at least 3(maybe all of them) have signs at the entrance saying "plots available on this site please phone"..etc, I'm curious whether this is a trend happening all over the country?

When I was given my plot about 8 years ago I had been on the waiting list for approximately 2 years, now there is no waiting list at all.

I am very happy on my plot and I would not like it to get to the point where lack of interest results in some sites being closed and sold to developers.

Hopefully the lack of interest is only temporary, I'm very interested to know if it's happening elsewhere?

Regards, Dave

[ESBkevin]

The current fad is for baking, although there is still an interest for veg growing it has peeked following the TV gardening flurry. Our local plots had a number of new tennents that quickly found it took more than 30 mins a week with an advert break and left thier plots in a state. as a result the deposit shot up to £150 to keep out less than serious growers. Unfortunately it also keeps out young families that could benefit greatly and we now have some empty plots as well as other holders with multiple plots .

[lmayhow]

We emailed about a plot in Rushden and recieved our plot three weeks later. I was suprised and was expecting a waiting list except we actually have three plots to choose from!

[Jay-ell]

I think some people walk past an allotment site, see all the veg nice and neat in the bed and fancy an allotment, not realising how much work is involved to get the plots looking like that.

Others take on the work but can end up feeling overwhelmed and loose the drive.

Some may take on the plot and make great strides in getting it ready and getting produce sown but their circumstances change (jobs, children, health, etc) and the allotment gets the heave ho.

Established plot holders might also be giving up their plot for similar reasons. Then of course there are plot holders who are not longer with us so their plots become available.

Of course with the first three the solution could be having access to mentors, advisors, peer support groups, technical consultants and experienced growers - i.e. they should all join the vine first (maybe sites should make that compulsory)

[bario1]

There's still an 8 year waiting list up here as far as I know... but that could be because it's a fairly large but compact city with a lot of 'vertical' living, and hence fewer garden owners?

[sparrow100]

I guess it depends where you are. Some of the sites in our borough don't have waiting lists anymore - typically the ones that are run through the Council. Ours has come down a lot but is still about 3 years, but our site is really central and well-run so it's much more in demand.

[lottie dolly]

They have dwindled on our site as well,

[Snadger]

I think some people walk past an allotment site, see all the veg nice and neat in the bed and fancy an allotment blah, blah, blah!

Yeah right! Which allotments would this be then?

[spamvindaloo]

I've just taken on a second plot, part of the reason is that it is next to mine and hadn't been worked for at last three years. It had had a succession of tenants who have done nothing with it and I was fed up of five feet high weeds blowing their seeds all over my plot. Mind you, I nearly thought twice myself when I saw the amount of bindweed I had to contend with

[Jay-ell]

Yeah right! Which allotments would this be then?

Not our site, obviously. That's why they're disappointed when they end up with a plot.

[hamamelis]

It depends here- the better known (ie. obvious and visible from main road) sites still have a ~4 year waiting list, but mine, which is huge and down a side street, has plots available.

In the corner I'm in, three of us started about the same time, so have have had a plot around 5 years, one's had it for 30, two for 10 or so, and one plot has changed hands 4 times in 5 years. People have taken it on, spent a few weeks going bonkers chopping things down, building stuff (it has a £300 shed and a proper greenhouse) and planting things, then all the bindweed and brambles they chopped down without digging out grows back, they get all dispirited and lose interest, then the council takes the rest of the year to finalise chucking 'em off. Rinse and repeat. Spread that over a 400+ plot site, and it got through the waiting list glut pretty fast.

I reckon, after talking to a few friends, that all the media fuss about the long waiting lists has put a lot of people off applying. They don't realise that the crazy wait times don't apply to everywhere...

It would probably help if individual sites communicated, so could suggest alternatives to prospective tenants, but they don't, at least here.

[Baldy]

We've got 50 plots and always have about 20 peeps on the waiting list - my feeling is that its notquite so popular as a 'thing to try' as it was 6 or 7 years ago.. but there is still an interest here (at least until I interview 'em .. ) )

[Guest]

It is going back 5 years when I got mine (no longer have it as I moved) but the site came to existence due to so many people wanting a plot. Unfortunately once people physically got a plot they struggled and didn't realise how much work it would be and that was working with a bare field not the usual weed infested, carpet strewn, dilapidated shed type plot. Also I got the impression the plots were seen as a weird status thing with lots of expensive clean wellie wearers who only turned up in fair weather They always seem to have plots going empty.

[AshitabaDave]

Thanks to everyone for responding,

Regards, Dave

[Cadalot]

I got my first plot at Mill Green when there was no waiting list because basically all those on it had seen the amount of work needed and had though no way. Me, I took what appeared to be the half plot out of the three available that appeared to need the least amount of work. This year we have 3 half plots available and 8 on the waiting list and the council still have not sent me anyone to view (I'm the site Rep)

Four years later I have taken another full plot on a different site (Spencer Road) due to access problems at Mill Green for the next three years whilst they develop the old industrial area into residential. This time knowing more I negotiated the first year free as it required a lot of clearing. I'm on the committee at Spencer Road which is a much larger site than Mill Green and at one stage there was no one on the waiting list.

The Rep on Spencer Road and I asked for some of those on the Mill Green waiting list to also be invited to look at Spencer Road as they are literally around the corner from each other, but both are not on main drag roads.