Kitchen Garden Forum

Our local council has just released their draft allotment strategy. (www.dorsetforyou.com/allotments/christchurch). Their plan is to reduce all plots to 5 rods (forceably by the looks), with a proposed price hike by 2018 from £18 to £65! I currently have 2 X 10 rod plots which I have had 12 years with some of the old boys being there decades, These are the well kept ones with the newbies going into the 5 rod 1/2 plots generally being completely overwhelmed by this small size and not coping.

It is one way to derease the waiting list. When I went for mine I had the choice of about 15 empty neglected plots. 5 rods is fine for just growing some crops for now but not for crops for storage and for fruit etc Our plot is at risk anyway for building houses but I had come to terms with that planning how to move my precious trees but won't be able to fit them on a 1/2 plot at all.

Some Xmas pressie - dread to think what the other council charges will be next year!

Westi

Hi Westi,

Liverpool City Council to fund their cash shortfall, Have increased the rent for a full plot from £32-00 a year to £40-00
They have also informed everyone that they will be taking £20 thousand a year out of the allotment budget for the next 3 years. The Allotment budget is made up from the Rent nothing more, Every Liverpool Council for the last 20 plus years have never ever made any provision for Allotments when setting any of its budgets.

They know when to pick your pocket's

Regards

Arnie

We will be paying £4.10p per rod from Jan 1st. (Gosport) I too have 25 rods and it is our council's policy now to only let 5 rods. Those of us who have more will be allowed to keep them but when we give up the plots will be split then to 5 rods. They do recognised the years and years of hard work we have put in to them so we won't be penalised.

Beryl.

hi everyone hope you all had a good xmas,and a happy new year my allotment rent has gone up as well,56 pounds last year to 112 pounds this year god knows what it will be come this april..this for a 10 pole plot...

There is an interesting thread on the Grow Your Own magazine's website about allotment rentals being increased and what,possibly ,you can do to combat or minimise them.I have taken an interest because here in Cardiff it is rumoured that the Council is to raise rents and do away with the over-60's subsidy.The thread is;-
Allotment Heaven: Battle on allotment rent increase - The result

i think the reason the council are putting the rates up so much is to make up the shortfall they have,and the allotments are easy picking,and i was told if you give it up we have plenty of people waiting for your plot, which is so wrong

I have just had the rent renewal for the next year

The council have decided that the rent should remain the same this year,
£18.50 for a whole plot and £12.50 for half a plot.

Dondigging - Do you have any services for your rental? such as water laid on. We do have to pay a water rate which is included. Maintenance of fencing, gates, grAss cutting of main paths, etc. These things do have to be paid for.

Beryl.

Just been on the local news down here that a plot holder from Eastleigh is privately challenging the local council for putting their rents up 60% when all other services are only going up 9%.

Good Luck to him I say - that is showing the courage of your convictions!

Westi

Beryl, we have water supplied at no extra cost as it is gravity fed to troughs.
Fences and gates are maintained and also a wildlife area,
the only thing we are asked to maintain are our own grass paths between plots.

Hi Donedigging, I think you are very lucky with your rental. It sounds very reasonable to me.

Best wishes for the New Year.
Beryl.

In a forthcoming issue we have Edwin Oxlade and Bob Sherman debating whether allotments should be made smaller so more people can have a plot.
What do you think? More half plots or should more land be made available so everyone can have a full size allotment if they wish.

I think there should be a choice but land is at a premium and to expect more to be available is like asking for the moon. I think better use could be made of what we have. Many people can't even manage a half plot. The turn-over of new plotholders who can't cope is a big problem.

I personally think it will go full circle and the bubble will burst again. Then it will be up to the really dedicated ones to keep the sites going again. It will be a constant battle to keep our green spaces from going under concrete.

Beryl.

Here Here Beryl - my sentiments more articulately written in my response to the council strategy. I pointed out I have 3 neglected small plots in close vicinity to mine (2 have grown nothing for at east a year) - wonder how long before they contact me for details? (Dooh silly me - they will just count the cash).

Westi

Many take a quarter plot, put up a shed, a compost bin, a sitting area and then have room for very little crops. But they're often happy with that.
Conversely some want enough room to be traditional and feed the family all year plus some fruit & cut flowers. But my council's maximum let now is a half plot and existing tenants are not allowed additional space while there's a waiting list, that applies to those with quarter plots also.
There needs to be a range of sizes up to a full ten rod plot, or equivalent collection of part plots and land swaps at the discretion of the council on reciept of a positive cultivation report from their site agent. There should NEVER be retrospective downsizing applied to tenants who use what they rent for the correct purpose to an acceptable standard, my national allotment competition friend with four full plots shouldn't be compelled to see his beautiful plots descend into a patchwork of good acceptable and bad.

I have two full standard ten rod plots, one too wet and shaded at the south end to use practically, so it is a bumblebee reserve. The top of the neighbouring plot is soft fruit as they tolerate some overshadowing. That takes about three to four rod, frost has stayed all day on these on bright sunny days, this leaves me seventeen cultivatable and sufficiently sunlit rods for good crops.