Advice on getting an allotment ......

Discussion in 'Allotments Discussion' started by Webmaster, Jan 10, 2014.

  1. Webmaster

    Webmaster Webmaster Staff Member

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    Hi,

    I thought it may be an idea to start a new thread with the sole intention of helping people get an allotment, as I recently took one on myself.

    The first step you can do, is to contact your local authority, this link ( https://www.gov.uk/apply-allotment ) is the UK.Gov link, here you enter your postcode, and the website will take you to your local authority website, this will only take you to your local authorities site, so you may have to search on their own website for "Allotment" to bring up the correct search on their own site (each site is slightly differently laid out, so I cannot go into each indivudual one :) ). One thing to remember, is that even though your local authority may say there is a waiting list for plots, this may not be true, as they do not update this part of the site all that frequently, so it is still best to ask.

    I opted for emailing the general Council Email address, asking for it to be forwarded to the correct department, within 2 days, I had a response and the contact details of the secretary of the allotment group, for which I contacted. You can of course, call in to your local offices, or call them, but both of these ways do tend to keep you in Queues :) .

    If it appears like there are no allotments in your area, then I would suggest you find five people who would like an allotment and are registered council tax payers. Then individually and collectively, submit a formal letter to the local council. Send one (you can put all six letters in one envelope) by recorded delivery and one hand delivered, with at least two witnesses present. All local authorities have a mandatory obligation to provide allotment provision under Section 23 of the 1908 Small Holdings and Allotments Act. (be warned though, there is no time scale attached to this process and unfortunately this process cannot be used in London, as the rule only applies outside of the capital thanks to the London Government Act 1963.)

    Sometimes, there are local allotments which are privately run, most councils/local authorities will know of the contact details of these sites also.

    Once you have located the site, make sure you ask relevant questions about rules etc that the allotment may have, as you need to know what you can and can't do (for example, I cannot have a bonfire on my allotment, apart from bonfire night, some council allotments don't allow dogs etc). Find out what services are laid on (water/electric ?) . Also, does the allotment suit what you would like to grow ?

    There are many other things that could be added to this, and I would encourage any other (longer serving) allotment holders to please add to this, as you may have come across things that haven't even crossed my mind yet :biggrin: .

    I hope this is of some help to anyone else looking to get an allotment.
     
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    • joolz68

      joolz68 Total Gardener

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      When choosing a plot,if you have a choice then pick one that wont be in full shade all winter not that we get much sun but every little helps :blue thumb:
       
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      • Webmaster

        Webmaster Webmaster Staff Member

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        I forgot to add, I mentioned to the person running the site, that I would like a shed on my site, He then told me I could have an allotment with a shed on already, I had a choice of 2, I chose the one with the best shed on the site (both were near each other, but one shed needed a lot of repairs). The good thing with this, is that it has saved me at least £150 as the shed is already there.

        If you want a greenhouse, mention it, as there may be a plot available with one on already as well ;)
         
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        • Scrungee

          Scrungee Well known for it

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          Allotments are owned and let by local/municipal/unitary/etc, authorities, the CoE (Glebe Lands), Parish Councils, Private Estates, Private Trusts, The NT, The Garden Centre Group (formerly Wyevale), etc., etc.
           
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          • Kristen

            Kristen Under gardener

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            Apart from a Shed / Winter sun then "Near water standpipe" might be a consideration.

            If the plot has been worked for hundreds of years, and the soil isn't massively heavy, I wouldn't worry if it is over grown. Soil in good hear will clear easily and then dig easily. If you aren't fit you might either choose a plot that is easier to tame ... or plan to GET fit!!
             
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            • daitheplant

              daitheplant Total Gardener

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              Let us be honest here. If you want to take on an allotment the odds are it is going to be overgrown and neglected, so be prepared to to put in a lot of work. Never mind what Nathan says, he was lucky. 9 times out of 10 you don`t get to pick and choose. The rule is, expect the worst but hope for the best.
               
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              • Kristen

                Kristen Under gardener

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                Agreed. But on an old, established, allotment site the soil will be excellent - manured and manicured over the years. So once all the brambles and trash is removed its going to grow fabulous crops :)

                I would be very shy about getting an allotment on a brand new site though - probably farmed arable land, plough pan, lousy drainage, mono cropped, chemicals every year for decades, and probably wide open to wind and weather ...

                Probably ploughed and rotavated ready, not a weed in sight, but a complete nightmare to get the soil into good heart to grow even a half decent crop.

                Mind you, not as bad as the garden in a new-build with, also, a plough-pan but also all the builders rubble just buried in the back garden :(
                 
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                • Steve R

                  Steve R Soil Furtler

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                  Again, not necessarily the case. A plot may have had a collection of building on it for years or had been used to rear poultry or keep dogs. Thirty years ago on our site every plot had a pigeon loft on it.

                  Every site will be different as will every single plot. There is no escaping the hard work and time needed to get a plot into reasonable order, and keep it there. But to me that last sentence, is more than half of the reward of having a plot, the produce then becomes a bonus.

                  Steve...:)
                   
                • DavidC1951

                  DavidC1951 Apprentice Gardener

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                  I live in a rural area, so formal allotments are effectively non-existant. However, it may be worth asking around for anyone who has an old kitchen garden they don't work. They may take a bit of clearing but there is usually an endless supply of manure close by to improve the ground once it has been cleared.
                   
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                  • Tinker86

                    Tinker86 Gardener

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                    I didn't find the council helpful in linking me to an allotment, but what I did find was using your local councils website, they usually list all the surrounding allotment sites.

                    Working from my own postcode, I then found the nearest and typed it into a search engine and luckily they had their own website which had the necessary direct contact details, skipping out the middle man of the council, who can sometimes be too busy to help.

                    A quick phone call to the site chairman to see whether they had space available, I had my plot in the same week.

                    It may not work for everyone, but worth a try!
                     
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