Kitchen Garden Forum

Time was allotments were a bit out of the way and folk accepted a bit of smoke now and then, plus plot holders were more considerate of others. Eee, that's me old boy bit done.

Long and the short is, that after a number of complaints to the Town Council, who run our allotments and at least one formal complaint to the District Council Environmental Health, bonfires will be banned between 31st March - 1st October. Tenants will be reminded that further complaints could lead to an total ban.

My site generated at least one of the Town complaints.
No one kept having a fire as such, just each of about a dozen had a fire every couple of weeks.
So no one person was inconsiderate, they were either blissfully unaware of the fire that finished an hour before they arrived or didn't think of sequential bonfires as a nuisance.

Town rules are that rubbish is the plot holders responsibility and everything that can be composted should be. Plus everyone has a brown compostile waste wheelie bin at home.

What are your allotment rules on bonfires?
What are your views on gardening bonfires?

Glad I've got a garden - not a proper bonfire unless I can keep it smouldering for a week.

Sorry Peter, none of the options seem to apply.

Our 'rules' are use common sense (some people don't seem to, on a regular basis)
If possible avoid setting a bonfire on weekends when washing Is more likely to be out. (people do)
Do not leave bonfires unattended (people do)

I have not heard of anyone being admonished on our site

We do have houses nearby and they have been known to complain. We have one plotholder who has a 'couldn't care less' attitude

We do have to be careful about smoke on certain days as we are under the flight path for take off and landings for what was once, and may still be, the largest private airfield in the uk next door to us

Our council have banned them due to one nearby house hold continually complaining regardless of time or what day ,it does not stop the same house hold from having fires in their garden but it's a no no on our allotment

robo, complain, simples

Poll options amended.

Pa snip we have all to no avail

Our restrictions are for fires only to be lit from 1 hour before dusk, which doesn't give long before it is pitch dark and you can't see what you are doing. I try to have any bonfire around November 5th, when people seem slightly more tolerant to any smoke, but if weather or circumstances prevent this it is a case of when I can, or wait another 12 months

robo wrote:Pa snip we have all to no avail

That is grossly unfair.
Obviously not a case of what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander

Hi,

Our rules don't fit the above as such. You are allowed fires on plots which are not near the road, no time restrictions.

The council (I think?) get very upset with smoke over the road due to health and safety.

I'm near the road, so no fires for me.

Pawty

The only thing they ask of us is consideration to other plot holders & banned if the smoke will go over the road - both for the traffic & the people living over there.

Seems just & fair to me.

Westi

We are allowed them, but asked to avoid times others are enjoying their plots or gardens.

Having said that, I never see the need. I have few woody prunings, and any constructional timber is likely treated so better not burned. Most waste gets composted. I've never understood the instruction to burn diseased material - most vegetable matter is ~90% water which doesn't burn well !

A total ban on bonfires on our allotment, its a private site with the motor way very close and houses.

Its the council that banned the fires and there's a hefty fine on the club if anyone lights a fire.

There' a council tip close by to get rid of rubbish.

I dont have an allotment any more, but when I did there was only one rule on bonfires/burning rubbish.
If the wind was blowing towards the houses that backed onto the allotment site, we couldnt have a fire... so in reality we couldnt have them at all in any of the plots round the edge of the site.

Geoff wrote:Glad I've got a garden - not a proper bonfire unless I can keep it smouldering for a week.

Geoff, I love that quote! . We sadly have very limited space for a good bonfire in our suburban garden . I have to wait for a bare winter space to appear in our vegetable patch and for my next door neighbour to have a rare day when she doesn't decide to hang her washing out or she will complain about it smelling of bonfire smoke

When we were first married I got over-enthusiastic about a winter bonfire after moving into a property which had a lot of wood junk lying around in the garden . I threw a lot of stuff onto the fire late at night, retired to bed and woke in the morning to find I had burned down our nearby neighbour's fence at the bottom of the garden as the wind had got up and fanned the flames! So I'm a lot more wary of a good bonfire now especially as my husband thinks he married a pyromaniac lol: