GYO Needs Your Help - Fast Track to Getting Your Lottie

[fwuffydragon]

I was recently trying to get a plot for one of my friends on my site, but the waiting list has gone way up since 4 years ago ... nowadays they suggest you get yourself put on the list, and then call the allotment contact every 3 months to check how you are progressing, as people sometimes leave / move out of the area etc. and don't let the site know they're no longer interested. Also, some people get on more than one waiting list and forget to let the other one know when they've got a plot.

Also, allotment societies appear to be allocating smaller plots at the moment, due to the increased demand, so you may only get offered a half or a quarter plot, rather than a full one. The good thing about this is it means that when one person leaves, two people may get a plot. (...and a half plot is WAY enough to look after if you also have a f/t job!)

They tend to be strict about the order of the waiting list, so if you try and "beat the system" you may get removed from the list altogether. Allotment societies do talk to each other, so if you do this at one site, others may refuse to accept you on to their waiting list.

Even if there's a waiting list, do see if you can go down and be shown round the site, so that you know what sort of commitment you would be letting yourself in for / what facilities there are / the general condition of the site / whether the people are friendly / whether the committee are likely to be approachable etc. Do check whether you're allowed "structures" e.g. a shed, as some sites don't allow them.

Sometimes when you do get offered a plot, you'll get a few months notice so you can start planting seeds at home so they're ready to go in when you can get on your plot. Also means you have the time to start saving up for seeds / tools / shed / chiropractor(!) etc.

[Sunbeam]

Approach your local Parish Council - apparently if there are a large number of people waiting for allotments they are obliged to find extra sites. Our parish was looking for ground and I called and suggested a plot I knew was empty - they approached the District council and they agreed to let us have the land on license - it's long shot, but worked for us!

[lesalou]

We were on the waiting list for about 3 1/2 years, we rang, we e-mailed, we even took a video to show how many were empty and not being used. The council then decided to reclaim 10 that had stood empty for ten years!!!!!! - 10 years worth of rubbish, there was talk of turning it in to a graveyard but the bank is quite steep i think the bodies would have rolled down.I could get cross because a couple of the "old boys" have three plots each, no wonder there is such a long waiting list. But if you really are keen then you'll wait some people see it as a trendy fad.

[nick the grief]

Hi everyone

GYO would like to know if anyone has any tips on how 'beat the waiting list' to get an allotment?

They're also on the lookout for a couple of Grapes to tell them their stories of how they did this and they may make it into the magazine

If anyone has any tips, please post them in here, and anyone interested in potentially having their story published, please post your interest in here too. GYO can then contact you from this thread (please don't post you're contact details on here though)

Cheers
Shortie

Speaking as the Secretary of our site I always find large denomination notes paid into the committee's swiss bank account helps

Seriously, We're full at the moment (65 plots) and I've been trying to get the council to open another site in the village as we now have about 20 on the list and that's been from January this year. The only thing we can do is get tough with people already on site and enforce the rules which isn't going down too well as in the past half the site has been empty and folks we left to get on with things as they didn't want to loose them.

[bubblewrap]

Go round allotment sites making a note of allotments which appear to be unused Then inform the council or whoever runs the site.
Then remind them of the fact that there is a waiting list.

[NOG]

We have a waiting list of 17 and there are two ways to jump it.

One take on a "new" plot.....bascally you go off with the Ground Steward with a rope, a hammer and 4 posts. He takes you to the new field and measures a plot and bangs in the 4 posts. Then if you are brave or stupid enought you take it on. Your first job is to find your way back to the path past all the brambles and blackberrys.

Or

You have a skill we need....If you want to work in the Trading hut, or can fix the site Mowers...then you are in.

BUT if you say you will not help on the site then you stay on the list.

[Ashbylife]

We've just put our name down and been told there are 31 people on the waiting list and a probable 2 year wait. With that many on the waiting list they should be looking for more plots I'd say so I'm planning on getting in touch with the council to ask what they intend to do.
Thanks for all the other advice - already know a plot holder who we see regularly and I'll certainly be keeping in regular touch with the guy that allocates them and have told him we'll take anything, any state, any size.

[lotthedrinkeroftea]

I second the 'build your own' allotment - I live on a housing estate in Brixton and we've turned one of the lawned areas ( 1/3 of an acre in size??) into a communal allotment for people to use. It's our first year so we've mainly been clearing but we hope to have raised beds so that lot's of people on the estate can use em!

[Dipzy]

Hi Bubblewrap, I emailed our council lady and said there appeared to be loads of unused plots. It is a gated site so I'm not sure how much it is used (only ever see 1 person on the site at any one time) but I walk past it everyday and my kids ask when we will get a plot.

What bothered me is that I said I would willingly take on an unused plot or a half plot but she just wrote back saying you are still 10th on the list.

I found out that one of my son's friends, her mum knows the lady who runs the plots so I am going to ask her to find out why these plots are unused and unallocated. I am just anxious to get too annoyed with them and then I get bumped down the list but it would help if they could provide an explanation rather than blank me.

[kernowyon]

Hi Bubblewrap, I emailed our council lady and said there appeared to be loads of unused plots. It is a gated site so I'm not sure how much it is used (only ever see 1 person on the site at any one time) but I walk past it everyday and my kids ask when we will get a plot.

What bothered me is that I said I would willingly take on an unused plot or a half plot but she just wrote back saying you are still 10th on the list.

I found out that one of my son's friends, her mum knows the lady who runs the plots so I am going to ask her to find out why these plots are unused and unallocated. I am just anxious to get too annoyed with them and then I get bumped down the list but it would help if they could provide an explanation rather than blank me.

don't you just love the faceless council worker that cares about the job that they do. sometimes plots are waiting for the council to clear before they can be allocated, when you get hold of the bod that runs the plots offer to have one and clear it yourself, they can either say yes or no, and you never know 'till you ask. good luck with the hunt!

[Kayt]

When I decided I wanted to GYO again but not having a garden now I went to have a look at my local site. Had a chat with a couple of plot holders who showed me round, talked about size of plot and cost. They told me some were vacant so I emailed council and was offered 3 plots the same day - all of which were covered in 8ft high brambles and general rubbish. I took the one nearest the gate and tap as there wasn't anything to chose between them and was told that the brambles and rubbish would be cleared but I could start working which I did at the clearest end. It took 7 months, several emails and phone calls for the brambles to be strimmed down. Some of the rubbish has been taken away but there is still a large pile at the bottom of the plot. According to our council lady this isn't a problem as "surely you won't want to grow on all of the plot will you?" I thought that was the idea. Although we seem to have spare plots I'm not sure if these are advertised and we don't appear to have very good council support. Fortunately we do have a great site rep so when I get round to dragging the rubbish out he has assured me that the council collect it.
My plot has been, and still is, quite a challenge and I haven't made as much progress as I'd hoped but I feel as if I'm getting somewhere now.

[Pumpkin Becki]

I would suggest don't just think about council run sites...

We wanted an allotment in/near the village we are building our house in. We emailled the council allotment officer who was really helpful. She explained that unfortunately there weren't any council allotments that far out of town, but she did have the contact details of a private allotment site.

It still took a bit of persuasion, and a bit of negotiation on the size of plot, but after a year we ended up with a lovely brand new 1/4 size plot, marked out with sturdy chestnut fencing posts (to put rabbit fencing round) and running water nearby for just £28 a year - and infact our landlord gave us the first couple of months rent free untill we'd got established.

Other councils must also hold details of privately run sites and they aren't hugely expensive when you weigh up the rent against all the benefits.

[JanieB]

WHAT an interesting thread. I can't do quotes to all my answers. Soooo.

When I was looking for a plot I put myself on the council queue. What they didn't tell me was that the site had 1/3 council plots and 2/3 National Trust.

I talked to a chap in his eighties who had four NT plots and he couldn't cope with them. So he took me round and I picked a plot.

The allotment secretary was absolutely delighted to have it back in cultivation (I'll come back to this*).

The thing is that they are all on the same site. There is only one allotment committee, but most people go to the council if they want an allotment. Stuck in queue, smallest part of the site, no liaison between allotment secretary and council queue. No queue on NT site. desperate for people to take abandoned plots.

I took this on board and (as a Town Councillor) suggested that to reduce the queue, any sites that hadn't been used for a year should have a letter sent saying (basically) use it or lose it. And liaison with NT site.

* caught by my own petard. Last year was such a disaster, having cleared 1/3 of it and planted it, everyting rotted in the rain. Decided this is a new year so start again. The (new) allotment secretary decided we hadn't tried hard enough and gave an ultimatum that unless it was in "obvious" cultivation in two weeks it would be let to someone else. She also had my "load of aluminium" removed from my plot to the allotment dump. This was the frame to my 10 X 8 greenhouse. She didn't have the load of old crap left my the last tenant removed.

Decided I couldn't do this on my own and asked my daughter-in-law to share it. Having just moved here, she is delighted.

Greenhouse is up and in use. Gave up with organic idea (for the time being) and chucked "roundup" over the weeds. Manure arriving this month, also a rotovator.

So, answer to thread is that not all allotments are in Local Council control. The way to go is to talk to those who have allotments already (don't be put off by the occasional curmudgeon). Not all councils are like mine and keep the existance of other allotments to themselves.

I am personally persuing the chance of more allotments in our town, not that I think this will help in the long run. So many new estates are built where the houses have very little garden that I think there will be an increasing requirement for lotties. Probably the old rule of a rood of land for every dwelling should be re-instated .

[jackie j]

I was told at our last allotment agm that allotments are going to be put in place on all new large housing estates, maybe its only down here but thats not the impression he gave at the time.
Find out if thats the case in your area.

[ayesha]

Hi

I don't think that many people find it easy to jump the waiting lists now days as council waiting list are so full. The best way as others have suggested is to visit the allotment sites in person and speak to some plot holders. They will normally tell you what plots are abondoned and those which have been listed as un-workable. If you are prepared for some hard work then these abondoned plots are ideal, and there are many of them. Many large pieces of allotment land lie un-used for years and in many cases end up being sold off for re-development.

The other way to get yourself an allotment is to use the allotment law that is already in place. You need 6 adults to get together who want an allotment, write a letter or arrange a meeting with your local council and tell them what your needs are. The Council by law have a duty to provide and can even compulsory pruchase land for allotment use. It does help if you have a piece of land in mind that you think would be good for allotments. It can be done and many new sites around the country have been created in this way. You can talk to councils until you are blue in the face but unless you remind them of their obligations they will fob you off forever.

The SWCAA (South West Counties Allotment Association) represents allotment gardeners nationwide and we have full details of how to get a new site off the ground on our website at SWCAA homepage we can also offer you extra support and guidance should you need it.

Allotments provide us with important green spaces within our towns and cities and more needs to be done to protect them. Demand has increased dramatically over the last few years and is set to continue so it is up to the people to keep the pressure on the local authorities and the government until they realise how important this issue is.