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Dear All, I've previously written about the possible threat of my allotment being sold but now it's official! The Chigwell Road allotment in East London is, as i understand it, being cut in half and sold off. I am gutted and i've only been there a year and a half!. This is a friendly old site and many of the old timers who i talk to have been there for years and it really is a lifeline for them. Many people think that just because we have no association, the powers that be have reckoned that we will be a walk over but they are wrong! Luckily we have several people that have much more knowledge than I do about these matters and they are now encouraging all of us to organise ourselves. If there are allotmenters out there with experience of this , please let me know more as there is no way that we let this go without a tremendous fight. It doesn't matter to me or my other half which part of the allotment is to be sold, whether we are to stay or to go, we think this is a bad decision and would welcome any advice.
Thanks very much for your help
Raine

This is just sickening, they sell off land for housing and then put the infrastructure under strain - it's happened round me, they're eating up the greenbelt so fast that flood plains are moving down stream causing more damage. The allotments we had, have alledgedly been vandalised - no one on that allotment has any knowledge of this - so that the council can sell them off. It's true that councils do have to provide allotments, if enough people ask, however, there is no time window for this. I reckon we should just all guerilla garden - take over pieces of land just left to fly tippers and weeds. I am rather right wing tonight - but it makes my blood boil. The UK won't be happy until every street is the same, all greenery banished and the countryside something we tell to our children to scare them. Sods the lot of them.

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Best wishes
Andrewo
Harbinger of Rhubarb tales

If you have legal cover on your house insurance it should be able to help you with this if it does end up affecting you.

Raine
Terrible news, I can only wish you every success with your fight.
If you read View from a Shed by Michael Wale he talks about a similar situation. He is in Acton, you might be able to talk to him via the Acton Gardening Association for advice?
Would the National Allotment Association be able to help?
What are their "reasons" for selling it off? Are they going to provide more land (although that's not the point, I know)
Feel very angry on your behalf.
Sue

Who owns the site?

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My phone has more Processing power than the Computers NASA used to fake the Moon Landings

It is owned by the council, that's all i know so far. Can I ask how the household insurance might help-seems like an avenue i should persue. Have been talking to loads of people on site and it just seems absolutely ridiculous. one lady i spoke to has been there 21 years and she is not in the minority! It's not as if it's an unused site either, looking around most of the plots seem taken. Trouble is , we're in a very popular area at the moment and the money they can get for the land is huge but the area just can't keep taking more luxury flats and apartments - soon there won't be any green space at all! I am feeling very angry at the moment, more on behalf of a load of the older plot holders who feel this is their life, social and otherwise than for myself, and i feel very strongly that this is something worth making a fuss over. Any encouragement and advice gratefully received !
Raine

oops- sorry forgot to add- the reason they are selling them off is purely because they need to raise cash. I've been told 150 million is what they need and the allotment will bring in 10 million, don't know if this is accurate or just a rumour.The council have already sold several local car parks so you see what i mean about building on every available piece of land. South Woodford is not going to be as lovely as it was .
Raine

have you contacted any local newpapers,radio stations,magazines. Your MP even? Might sound odd but I bet Help the Aged could help. you should definately start a save our allotment campaign. Even if they are moving the allotment the quality of the soil wont be the same. really cause a fuss on this one and I reckon you could win. best of luck xx

Hi Raine

I know your area quite well (lived in East London for 40 years
before I moved to France)and I'd be insensed as well. Papers, MPs, try to drum up some interest from local tv and radio as well - sort of thing the London based progs may go with and write to City Hall. Speak to Roger Hignan at Friends of the Earth, I don 't think it's his area of expertise now but he can also give you some advice.

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TonyF, Dordogne 24220

This desision was taken by the local councilors, remind those councilors that their council seats realy on your & other allotment holders votes.
Or get someone to stand against those "b*****ds who voted to "sell off" your allotments. I would ask who is going to gain from this action.(not local people)

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I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.
W. C. Fields

Raine
Any decisions yet?
I think your problem sets off worries all over, especially in the overcrowded south, mind boggling to think the land is worth that much, it makes us (or me) feel very vulnerable, the possibility that the allotments could be threatened when you rather vaguely think they're safe
If you're starting a petition let me sign!
best wishes
Sue

Well whats the action?

Posted by Peter on allotment advise may be of some help
http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1127687

Allotment land cannot be sold without DoE approval, Bournemouth council had to get permission from john prescott to be able to sell part of the Preistley Rd allotment, then part of the monies had to be spent on upgrading the other allotments in the borough, if more than six people require an allotment it is the councils duty to provide an area of land for them,

Hi Raine. I've only just seen this thread. I think pretty much all of us can understand your anger and are also somewhat devastated for you. I lived in South Woodford for a year and it was a lovely place to live, although I didn't really explore it (only young then).

If the rumours are true the sale is only going to provide a small part of the monies required which only really adds to the insult.

Best of luck with your fight.

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Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

Hi Raine - just read your thread. I'm gutted for you but think the advice the grapes have previously given you is excellent and I don't think there is much I can add. If you need me to do anything then just let me know. Bernie

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

I think that councils don't look a "the bigger picture" If area is "devoloped" (sic) will there be any shops, buses,ect Will the roads handle the extra traffic? People need more tha just houses.
It seems to me that councils are interested in "MONEY" and not their council tax payers.

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I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.
W. C. Fields

BW how true! What about councils charging us for getting rid of our waste (ie chips in bins - yep Ive got one!) and then only recycling bottled plastic - they'd better get their act together if they think they are charging me before I can reycle ALL my plastics! Sorry! Got a bee in my bonnet about this! Bernie
Any news on the lottie front?

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

This is going to be a long one….Sorry folks.

1. Form a defence committee whos sole aim is to defend the site.
Contact your local Green party get them on site.
Contact your local Allotment Forum/Federation
Contact a local Celeb to be president
Contact local press….you will need to do the work cos Reporters are a lasy lot you take the photos, write the article and they will edit it and publish it. Get on line and find the name of the reporter who covers your area and phone him and send it all to him direct.
2. Get on to the Prime Ministers web page and create an online petition and then email every one you know to add to it, then got on all the forums and get us to sigh it.
3. Go online and get a copy of your councils
a. Unitary Development Plan (UDP),
b. Local Development Framework (LDF)
c. Local Development Scheme (LDS)
Read them they may say that they support open spaces if they do use it against the
Council saying they are going against their own plan.
4. Visit your loacl MPs Surgery and local Councilers Surgery, go to the council meeting and get on the agenda and ask questions (they need to know you are going to fight.
5. What you have got to argue is that your allotments are:
· A multicultural asset that will be missed by all section of the community who are residents of the Borough,
· If you have any disabled members (stroke, angina, asthma all count). Play of the benefits that the allotemtns give them.
· Argue that there are not enough alternative sites in the borough,
· Argue that they have to provide allotments by law.
· Go on the GREEN offensive...
a. loss of the trees, the carbon offset that the trees give,
b. the addition of greenhouse gasses that the new housing will produce
c. the pollution caused by the trucks that will build on the land.
d. Extra congestion that the extra housing will cause.


6. Contact Local TV news get them to do an piece.

Allotments and Green isues are in at the moment play on it.

Get a website / blog up and put the news good and bad on it advertise and however bad you think it is going fight.

Best Wishes

NOG

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My phone has more Processing power than the Computers NASA used to fake the Moon Landings