Very Important! Please Read This

[berksmike]

Please click on the link and sign this online petition to the Prime Minister.
It seeks to stop Local Authorities selling off allotment land for re-development.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Allotsave/

[jools]

Have signed the petition but I don't know if it has been registered. Apparently, it only counts when you have received an e-mail from them and you click on it. Haven't had the e-mail & this also happened when I tried to sign the one against road pricing. Why am I not surprised?????
Jools

[Birdie Wife]

It's a no-brainer really. There's a growing movement towards buying local produce within the people that care about food, but if the message has reached the maojrity of the population they aren't doing anything about it. My local supermarkets do give a choice and display the country of origin on the labels, but they could do much more by highlighting British produce and this may help people who need to do their shopping in a hurry.

[mandyballantyne]

I have just signed up too. There are no allotments in 2 of my local council areas, further councils would not allow you to sign up.

I have to make do with my garden.

[daineal]

I've just signed up too. I found another one though while browsing the site.If you've not already seen it please click on the link & sign up too!

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/allotments/

[Two_Sheds]

Petitions are useless. He ignored the million motorists one, do you think he will be bothered about allotments?
It is much harder to ignore a sack of mail, real paper (recycled if you like). Write him a letter instead.
PS. You can lobby your MP electronically - they do read them, I've even had replies:
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/

[denise]

I signed it in hope that it may make a tad of differnce, but as you say Two_Sheds he ignored the motirists one and also dismissed all the people on the anti-war march - but i live in hope.

[nick the grief]

Done & dusted. I think we should be having more lotties not less.

I think a few years ago people on benefits could get an extra payment for buying fresh Fruit & veg & it was a few hundres of pounds - our lottie is £20/year & all the excercise you want so it would help to cure obesity as wel

[*Feather*]

I've signed both petitions too and sent the links to the president of my allotment society. I live in hope too that it will make a difference...

[muckdiva]

Have signed both petitions and had the emails back to confirm. Better to do it than not, even if ignored. I did get a letter back from an MP (Maples I think) regarding climate change petition I signed up to so other grapes are right, they do take more notice.

I don't have an allotment - and sadly the ones in our village are under threat because the trustees say the cost of insurance is too much. I think the parish council is on the case, but some folks want to use the land for low cost housing (which in our are means 2 low cost houses and 10 'Executive Homes'. Sorry, just being cynical.

[nellybird]

It is already law that the council is duty bound to provide allotment sites to the public if there is a demand for them. 6 or more people have to go to the council to lodge complaint.
I just wanted to say although I agree with the principal of this petition, at my allotments in Bournemouth, (which ia a large site of over 200 big plots) the powers that be have just sold off an area to builders for housing development. In exchange the building contractors have put up a decent fence around the site and gate, rebuilt the roadways, built a lovely site shop, office, toilets and social area, put in all new water ways and tanks, built car parks for the allotment holders and some other bits. This has improved our site excessively and made it safer and user friendly. All the allotment holders thoroughly supported the development and selling off of the land - which was only a small proportion. Any allotment holders in the area were resited and everyone seems happy. I even lost a chunk of my plot holding some mature fruit trees, I was sad but I am being compensated and the allotment society are buying me some new fruit trees and bushes.
So although we need to protect our allotment sites, this petition is a little extreme.

[nick the grief]

Not really Nellybird. We have 64 plots on our site and it is in a fairly good location. If this went for developement we would be stuffed good & proper.

I know the allotment act says that if you have 6 etc and it also says that they can resite your plot, so rather than loosing s few plots what would have happened if they had sold the whole site off & moved you the other side of bournmouth in some derelict land and said we'll put up an fence, car park & shop would you still have been so happy? I'm guessing not.

I think that you have had a good experience of re-developement which is sadly the exception rather than the rule.


Rant over

[bubblewrap]

I agree with Nick, Our lotties (24 ) are on a prime site we had an inspection (in Janarary ???)by the council.
I could be wrong but I have learnt not to trust the b******s.

[Piper]

I have just added myself to the petiton. Our allotment is under threat as becoming a school. It's been in our local paper that we don't want it to happen. Think if it is decided that it's going to be built there we will all go up there and have a sit in.

[Mrs Dobby]

Our plot is next door to a school that going to be closing soon, and the school land sold for development, the site liason mentioned that she wanted to ensure every plot was let, as she was worried about the council perhaps thinking of selling off both lots of land as a larger space would be more advantageous for the developers, but as all 35 plots are now let we are hoping that the council will not even entertain it! If they do, then they will have a fight on their hands, as we've all put in too much effort for it to go to waste!