Britain's vanishing allotments

This is another one of those posts that fits into the well-trodden category of  "things I've been meaning to write for weeks now".

Despite the fact that allotments are seen as cool and trendy now, with reports of waiting lists for plots on many sites across the UK, their numbers continue to fall.

Liz Postlethwaite emailed me a couple of months ago to alert me to the plight of 2,000 allotments in Manchester that are under threat of selloffs to developers. Why? Well, 88 plots in the city have  already been declared surplus to requirements by the council and look set to be sold off for housing.

An article in the Advertiser, a local paper, reads:

Ron Carter, secretary of the Association of Manchester Allotment Societies, claimed the decision had ramifications for plot holders across the city.

He said: "We really do need to overturn this ridiculous decision. There will be an outcry amongst the 2,000 plus plot holders across Manchester. If this can happen to a statutory site that has been there since the 1920s it can happen to any site in Manchester."

The argument often given in such cases by councils that want to sell off allotments is that they are underused, suffering from a downward spiral of vandalism and neglect. But this is to ignore the cause of this problem in the first place, which is often a lack of investment from the council itself in nurturing and promoting this valuable green space to local residents, and making it a place where people want to come and grow veg.

And the argument that an alternative site will be found for the allotmenteers is specious too - many of these patches of land have been cultivated lovingly for years and contain decades of investment in terms of people's labour, organic material and structures such as sheds and greenhouses. And often the new sites offered are inappropriate because of their location and the type of land.

So, if you're in Manchester, get onto the City Council and add your voice to the people saying no to the selloff of Edge Lane allotments in Openshaw!

If you live in Manchester and want an allotment, a good place to start is the Association of Manchester Allotment Societies site.

And if anyone has an update on what's happened to these allotments, or wants to add details of their own battle to save allotments, add your comments below.

Comments

[lilymarlene]

The February Issue of Kitchen Garden Magazine has an article about the Manor Park site in Hackney Wick, London where the allotmenteers are being forced off due to the Olympics! Apparently the site is to close as the land is needed for a footpath to the Olympic Stadium!!!!!
Rotten luck for those who have worked hard on their plots!

[Mel Rimmer]

In my part of South Manchester there are waiting lists for almost all allotment sites. I would say allotment gardening is thriving here.

[An]

Here's a petition to the government to provide more allotments:

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

[allotmentboss]

Your piece is highly thought provoking, especially given that I'm trying to wrestle with similar questions about Bristol's allotment strategy - it's open for consultation and I intend to voice my opnion, once I figure out what it is!

I've posted quite a long ramble on my blog. The upshot is that I can see both sides of this argument, and I'm not sure which is right. There's a balance here between personal impact and the greater good, and that's a pretty grey area in my book.

[Helen Chisholm]

In my area Runnymede in Surrey one of our allotment sites "Boshers Gardens" was sold off for executive housing by the loacal authority I belive the allotment holders recived some financial compensation and were provided with an alternative larger although previously unclutivated site. This was about 7 years ago now, but I am sure it will make things much easier in the future for the the new site to be sold in the future.

[Matron]

I read in The Times a while back that John Prescott was looking to solve his housing problem in the South East of England by commissioning a report into London's allottments. Two-jags has his eyes on them too.

[Dave Scattergood]

I have 2 plots on Clifton Road Allotment, Runcorn, Cheshire. and Halton has about 40 people on the waiting list,and the list goes bigger each week.

[daniel leaman]

I got here from Welshgirls blog.
I find all this talk interesting.
In my part of south manchester where I have my allotment there are possibly 70-80 free plots. No waiting list!

[Julie Maher]

I am pleased to say I am the treasurer of Edge Lane Allotments in Openshaw and as of November 2007 the aplication for the compulsory purchase order was refused and we are now back to a thriving and full allotment again.
We had an open day on Sunday 17th Aug 2008 to promote the regeneration of our allotments and hope to include local organisations and neighbourhood groups and schools.
We hope we can be a beacon for any allotments that are in the same situation we were in several years ago.