Getting Lotties.

[ann-the-nan]

I have got a list I have collected of folk waiting for an allotment. (12 of us). I approached a councillor and he said to draft a letter and get everyone to do a copy to send on, etc......
Thing is, I'm not very good at drafting letters. Not for that sort of thing. Any ideas please. Would be so grateful. Thanks.

[Bumbler]

Hello Ann

Try looking on the NSALG website as they have a letter and info that you can download:

FAQ, Frequently asked questions NSALG, who do I ask for allotments?, grow your own, where do I find an allotment?

Hope this helps

Dawn x

[chriscross1966]

Be nice about it but do point out that they have a statutory obligation (indeed it is their ONLY staturoy obligation) to provide allotments if a need is demonstrated. Either the Allotments and Smallholdings Act itself or precedent has set out that 6 people waiitng is a demonstrated need.

chrisc

[ann-the-nan]

Getting Lotties

Thanks folk. You have both helped me so much. I feel I can now go forward with my plan for the wee group (12 of us(: ) and get the ball rolling.

[flowerofshona]

They may have a statutory obligation but that only means they need to be seen to be trying to find more land for more plots !!!!
We have an allotment federation with Peter Whiting as our chairman in Bournmouth and we put huge pressure on the council at every meeting to provide more plots with over 400 people on our combined waiting lists most of who have written to the council and their MP's and all we get is 'we did soil tests on a site and they where not good enough as an allotment site' we are getting pretty fed up hearing it and they are in for a rough meeting this month !!!!

[chriscross1966]

As long as the soil isn't contaminated with something opinsonus then anywherre can be made into allotments, once it's had a couple fo years of manure and copost the soil will be lovely almost everywhere there ahsn't been an arsenic factory....If it's not good enough for allotments then it's unsafe for housing......

chrisc

[flowerofshona]

Nope the council have to provide a site with soil that meets certain levels and if it doesn't they won't do anything to improve it its just a way they can get out of providing more plots and keep within the law !!!

[chriscross1966]

What levels of what? The Act is ancient, but some sites don't even have water troughs... They didn't have any formal soil tests in 1908 surely?... Sooner or later I can see a bunch of councillors getting disbarred for failing to provide allotments... the Act is pretty specific and it doesn't say "try to find half-heartedly", it says "obliged to provide" , it's the only obligation that councils actually have, it was in the big hoo-hah after the Boer war when the government of the day discovered that the wretched state of the working class (which provided all the soldiers) was pretty much down to malnutrtion and had rendered a large number of men unfit for military service

chrisc

[ann-the-nan]

Getting Lotties

wow, thanks grapes. Have sent the suggested forms out and am awaiting the come-back. Spoke to my tame councillor and he is on my side which is helpful. However, hr says the council is looking for land for "common gardens". I always understood that these were different. We have a common on the edge of town but the land is owned by the local Duke. I understood that if you have a true allotment, councils have certain obligations to provide water, and maybe other bits - like fencing around. The common gardens don't have this. You get a bit of scruffy ground and you have to fence it and provide everything. Am I correct here or have I got it wildly wrong. Can't seem to find any info. on this sort of thing. Thanks in advance.

[flowerofshona]

Yes i agree and as one who has been fighting for 5 years now to get a new site along with Peter Whiting from the NALAG and many local MP's on side the key thing is

obliged to provide

there is no flippin time limit stated anywhere in any of the laws and the councils use that fact ! they are using the 'we are trying to find a site and look we have done soil tests' so it loks like something is being done trick ! believe me no one has put as much pressure on a council to get there butts into gear !!!!
The trouble is 6-7 years ago no one wanted the plots and a lot where in a very bad state to the point of some being sold off because they could not rent the plots out!! this is making councils wary of providing new sites quickly i guess.
Also councils have to do soil tests on potential sites as if it was found that there was a hidden nasty on site they cold be sued heavely, blame health and saftey!