Title should really read "Up to 40 year wait..." As reported on the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8193100.stm "More than 80,000 people are waiting for a plot with a typical delay of three years, a poll of 301 UK councils found. The longest wait was in Camden at 40 years, followed by 30 years at Blyth Valley in Northumberland and 25 years in Islington, north London..."
I think it is a fad tbh-I was told by someone-and their face was serious that having dirt under your nails is very "in" now. Beggars belief. I am all for people getting into gardening-but I think a huge number are as much into gardening as were converts to feng shui and yoga-it'll pass and the more serious folk can get on with the hard work. Having an allotment is very "with it" I'm told. How many of them will be still at it in 3yrs time is another matter.
put my name on council list for allotment she said up to 3 years wait for me, iff i had a nice garden i certainly wouldnt be bothering with an allotment, wait for mine is tyne &wear, my friend his took 3 years hes just got his now hes been told he cant grow flowers so thats me out of his now, no good to me iff i cant grow nice flowers
I'm glad we got ours when we did in September 1980 when the interest rates went through the roof and we struggled as newly weds to eat properly.Best thing we ever did although we have had to shed blood sweat and tears literally to grow the fruit and veggies to help with the food bill and we still whittle even when we are away on holiday that everything on the plots are ok.:D When me and Mr Kandy pop our clogs the person/people who take over our plots will get a bargain with all the work we have put into the plots over the years.In fact people on our allotment would like to get their hands on our plots even now and we haven't gone yet and all for £18 per year for 30 pole:p Good Luck to all those people in the queue in North London trying to get one,I would give up if I had to wait that long.:( Rosa,read your allotment thread when you have stopped kicking the dog.All is not lost yet,you give up to easily.I always thought you Geordies were fighters:flag::euw::el-f::tnp::okies:
"I was told by someone-and their face was serious that having dirt under your nails is very "in" now." I wonder if I can get my money back on the gardening gloves I was given for Christmas? :hehe:
"You hardly need any more help." So I'm not allowed to put direct under my fingernails because it would give me an unfair advantage? "Bother" said Pooh!
I find that waiting that long for an allotment is a case of the council not doing its job properly. Not long ago, someone on the telly was saying that if up to six people, or more, apply to their local council for an allotment each, the council is obliged under a law dating from the last war (I think?) to provide enough ground for said allotments to be laid out. Perhaps that somebody could offer more information on this little known fact?:D
kandy hehe, ive answered in allotment thread, wish i had thought of this before and i could of had my name on list over 3 years ago, wouldnt like to wait 40 years thats ridiculous it would take me to 90 years of age haha, we are fighters us geordies never give up
I agree with Lollipop about it being a fad. I blame the t.v. programmes with getting people interested in allotment growing but that's not a bad thing! The thing I grumble about is that on the t.v. 'they' make it seem really easy to do a plot from scatch and then maintain them which it is not, I mean on the telly they can have an whole army of workers getting the site ready for the show etc. where we 'normals' have to do everything ourselves! The reason why I grumble is that there are a few people who take on allotments and 'think' they can do them when in fact they can't and then it takes forever for the committee to take action on the tenants to tell them to up their game or release their plots. We now have a waiting list on our site but there are at least four people on our site that have let their plots go totally to weeds and the committee isn't pulling their weight, I mean those four plots could go to people who really want to get stuck in.Hel.xxx.
That's true strawman, it was Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall (River Cottage Chef type person) who popularised this on the telly. If a council believes that there is a demand for allotments; they have a statutory duty to provide a sufficient number of plots. In addition, when assessing demand the council must take into account any written representations on the need for allotments by any 6 residents on the electoral register or persons liable to pay council tax. (section 23(2) of the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908).
Thank you, John. It's odd but I've seen a lot of talk about people wanting allotments and yet with your reply to my question, one has to wonder why nothing is being done about it? Perhaps that not enough people have heard of this law, but now that it's been aired here on GC, we may begin to see some changes. I hope so.
As far as I know there is no timescale attached to the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908, so councils can legimately drag their feet even if enough people demand an allotment. A celebrity making a TV programme will get action from the council much quicker than Joe Public.
