94th on waiting list :(

[Two_Sheds]

All the wasteland near where I live - they'd be room for another 500 odd plots!

That wasteland is owned by someone ... possibly someone who is sitting on it waiting for the value to rise, or for planning permission (flats?) to be granted.

[Two_Sheds]

BK
Its a kick up the bum! and jumping places does happen wouldn't you rather give a plot to someone who is keen than someone who comes in two spadefulls of ground and disappear never to be seen again.

Yes definitely. I've seen the same few plots change hands many times, given to people who think they only have to come twice a year to throw seed around and magically an allotment is born
Unfortunately people hang onto their plots even when they can't/won't work them, because they know how long it took to get it.

What would be helpful is if sites divided up plots into halves (I don't think a quarter is big enough to do anything with). I did this with mine early this year when I realised I wasn't coping, and let a chap plant it up for free (I'm not allowed to sublet, so I didn't charge him half the rent)

[Hans Mum]

we only let 1/2 plots now which (a) reduces our waiting list and (b) lets people know just how much work it is and if it fits in with their lives. If after 6 months they want to put their names down for an additional half as long as they have proved themselves we allow that, only thing is sometimes they end up with 2 halves rather than a full plot but its not a massive problem.

[Bramble_killer]

Y


What would be helpful is if sites divided up plots into halves (I don't think a quarter is big enough to do anything with). I did this with mine early this year when I realised I wasn't coping, and let a chap plant it up for free (I'm not allowed to sublet, so I didn't charge him half the rent)

the plots where we're down is only half, as soon as one becomes free the allotment officer halves it. You can even have a quarter plot in some of the sites in town.

[Sonata]

Ooh Pies, whereabouts in Ashford are you? I'm in Singleton. Apparently the queues here are about 200 long, and there aren't any near us, so a group of us have got together to set some up for Singleton/Great Chart.

Fortunately we have very supportive council people. Just a note if anyone has huge waiting lists or nothing nearby - get in touch with your parish/borough councillor. We're planning on doing 1/2 and 1/4 "taster" plots.

[funstuie]

We now only let new people have a 3 month tenancy....if at the end they are doing ok we let them pay to year end and they are one of us. If its all too much off they go and someone else gets a go,

We find that a lot of peope think its all great but don't realise the work involved.

That's a really good idea. I reckon the initial excitment of getting an allotment fades pretty quickly for a lot of people.

A friend of my wifes has an allotment on the Spa hill site and every year they get a dirty plot warning so they head down there and clear it up, pay their fees and that's it for a year. She has said they really only kept it as it took so long to get and if they had pushed them they would not have been too bothered. They have started using it a bit more this year as their son is a old enough to want to help out, so it's a day out for him when they go down there.

[Princess Unicorn]

I hope you get the allotment soon bramble Good luck!

I put my name down on the allotment list yesterday and wrote an email asking is there anyway I am able to keep track of my position on the list. Got an email this morning saying I am currently 117th on my 1st choice 121st on my second, but they have just finished making 55 half plots on my first choice, 7 plots they are in the process of letting and the usual turnover of the allotment is 25-30 a year.
Given all this, and 25plots are turn over at the very worse, I am effectivley 30th on the list.

Hopefully I will get one next year and my daughter will be 1 in April, enough time to establish the plot for when she is around 2 and then begin to introduce her to this lifestyle

[singleseeder]

I hope you get to the top of the list soon. I emailed the Alloment Assoc where I have my name down on Sat and haven't had a reply yet. I hope that means they are busy notifiying loads of peeps who don't keep up their plot that they have to get off........

What concerns me is that so many plots are really over grown when they are reallocated because it takes so long to get people off. Not many seem to give up while the plots are in great condition, I suppose that's understandable.

I'll just resign myself to a long wait.

[Pies]

Ooh Pies, whereabouts in Ashford are you? I'm in Singleton. Apparently the queues here are about 200 long,
.

I'm in Singleton, I only got my half plot in June,but i only had to wait for 2 to 3 months, the queue was about 30 back then.I suspect quite a few who started this year will give up or be kicked off.There plots are barely used

[Sonata]

Wow, how funny is that - small world! Well, we're hoping to get a site near the methodist chapel in Great Chart, so only about 5 mins walk away for me. I thought all the plots were a bit far for me as I didn't want to drive to get to a lottie - I just wouldn't go very often. It's a shame that so many people just don't use their plots when there are so many waiting for one.

I do hope you get up the list quickly, bramblekiller.

[hawthorns]

i was 50th on my list last october im currently 11th so getting closer

[matthew2riches]

A waiting list like that is really silly!

I walked up to my local site and started kicking and screaming and that week ended up with a plot!

[Chappers]

I put my name down in Feb last year on a local sit that has 110 plots, i was 27th on the list, but in Feb this year i had the phone call and now have a 1/3 plot. Its just the right size for me as i have a bit at home too.