Grow Your Own Magazine

i pay £21 a year for a 10 rod allotment (10 yards by 30 yards) which I understand is the standard size. We have water on standpipes and an allotment society shed but no electricity.

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George the Pigman

Here in Chester, we pay £35 p.a. for 300 sq yds, but as I'm over 60, I only pay £18 p.a.
I think it's far too cheap! The net result is that too many eager people rent a plot, suddenly realise that it involves hard work and leave the plots unattended all year. The direct debit continues to be paid and plots of rough pasture and brambles are listed as "Taken". Clearly at such a low price, the income to the council is derisory and very little investment can be made.

In our village (North Staffordshire) the rent for 2008 is £25.00.

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My plot

In our town it's £20 for a full plot and £10 for a half.

In solihull west midlands the rent I £25 half plot and £40 for full plot only water on site no increase for 2008

I pay £37 in Morecambe Lancashire

My first plot which 4.75 rods and has a 30ft polytunnel and for water I pay 29.00 per year my second plot which is 7 rods and has a shed don't have to pay for water as I pay it on my other plot is 23.00 so about 52.00 per year for both. We have a shop which we pay fees for 1.80 . our sit has about 100 plots

marion

Here in rural West Berks, on a privately owned plot, I'm paying £5 for a standard plot. There hasn't been a price rise for years - rumour has it there is a clause in the legal agreement preventing them increasing the rent! No water (but a stream along side). The major downside is that we share the site with pigeons, rabbits, deer, rats and gos know what else!

It's a same that, especially when so many people are crying out for allotments.
Maybe the allotment committee should adopt a probationary period with untended plots being re-let to people on the waiting list if they aren't being used?

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

I couldn't agree more re Snadger and Paddy's comments.
I gave away 1/3 of my plot bearing in mind I probably couldn't handle the full plot only to see it become a sea of weeds for the rest of the season under the tenure of someone who spent only one day on it. Fortunately last year they moved him on and I have a great neighbour to make up for it.
A probationary period sounds good and means those who don't do much soon get the heave ho.

This is absolutely right - councils have to provide land for allotments (where possible) if at least six residents ask them to do so. I've yet to meet anyone who has had success with this though - or even got together with five other people. It's not easy to get hold of the waiting list I imagine - data protection and all that.

I wonder if we can get something going on this website so people can register their interest in a given location? Or would we be too thinly spread? Maybe an ad in your local paper is a quicker way forward?

We've just had a letter back from our District Council who seem to think our idea for use of the derelict space is a good one. So, later on this year we will be reducing our waiting list considerably .

We have one smallish problem in that there is no access for vehicles so people will have problems getting rotovators etc there. Personally, I can't see the difficulty as none of these plots will be as far from a vehicle parking space as mine is on our site.

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"I prefer rogues to imbeciles as they sometimes take a rest" (Alexander Dumas)

That's great news JanieB, congratulations! You should write a letter about your success to GYO (I can pretty much guarantee we'll send you a prize!).

I wonder if it would be helpful for people who are waiting to approach the site forman (or woman) on each site? They could keep their own list or people who want a plot and encourage them to get together and contact their council. Has anyone tried this?

My plot is 200m2 approx and cost £14 per year its got water my plot is a fence away from the playground so i can see my kids while i work during the day and in the evenings i have to walk right past the pub to get home which i can also see from the plot. (my husband helps loads in the evenings but it takes us alot longer to get home)

Our allotments are close to a chip shop! The smell of fish and chips on Saturday lunch time draws you like a magnet!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

I've just taken on my first allotment and it's about 168 square meters which is costing us £15 a year. A bargin if you ask me!

Hi,
the rent on our site in gateshead is £24.50 and £15 for water which is turned on in April weather permitting and turned off end of october, all our plots have taps and they are of average size