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Advice needed on offer of land for allotment

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  • #1

    Advice needed on offer of land for allotment

    Hi,
    I'm on the very long waiting list with my local allotment society and wrote a letter to our local paper this week complaining about the length of lists and lack of council provision. I invited people to email me if they were interested in invoking the Allotment Law - 6 people can write to council and request land is made available. 2 people ahve emailed me so far. However, I've received a phone message today from the Allotments society to say a woman locally has some available land - I've made arrangements to see her tomorrow when she is also meeting with a chap who is interested, but in the meantime I couldn't resist going down today to have a nosey - it is extremely overgrown grassland with massive bramble bushes on a raised bank next to a canal with some trees bordering the one edge. It's going to be a hell of a job to strip all the grass and weeds and as a novice I'm not sure if the soil will be suitable for immediate cultivation. I'd really like some advice on whether to consider this further. I don't mind hard work but am concerned about the lack of any facilities and whether after stripping the ground I'll be able to plant straight away. Help please!!!!
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  • #2
    I would try and find out the history of the land. Have a few test digs in various areas to ascertain the type of soil and how much top soil there is!
    Sometimes land at the edge of canals can be quite fertile because from time to rime they need to dredge the canals and the dredgings are dumped along the edge.
    Loads of issues to take into consideration i.e aspect, drainage etc. I would think it would be similar to buying a house in that land searches would be required, rights of way, covenants looked at etc. A solicitor would need to be used to perform these searches. What you don't want to do, is to spend a lot of time and effort and money, to be told they are going to widen the canal or put a road through for instance!
    On a positive note, hopefully everything will be fine and I wouldn't be too bothered what was growing there now as it could all be cleared with lovely fertile soil underneath!
    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)

    Diversify & prosper


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    • #3
      I'm having a deja-vu moment here.... Isn't the exact same post in Allotment Finder? Or did my previous reply go walkabout...
      *wanders off with magnifying glass to find missing post....*

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      • #4
        No you're not mad!

        Hi Sarah
        No, I posted to both areas of the site to get as many views and as much advice as possible! Also I wasn't sure which was the most appropriate place to post the thread.
        Anyway, many thanks to everyone for their very helpful advice. I'm going to meet the lady this afternoon so will let you know how I get on. I don't think all the legal stuff will be an issue - sounds like a prime example of the Landshare initiative - she just wants someone to cultivate some of her land. I've now managed to speak to the allotment society who have said that she told them the land was dug over last year - maybe I've looked at the wrong piece of land...d'oh! Will let you know the outcome later today...
        Thanks again everyone

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        • #5
          Just a quick thought but as the woman is making space for allotments, and reducing the council waiting lists then you might be able to get them to come and scrape the surface for you. Good luck though as our council won't do a thing - other than take the money and run!
          Karen

          Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool
          Even a journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step!

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          • #6
            Good advice Snadger.

            Don't know about 6 persons clause. Yes it is true but I think that applies to the formation and compulsory purchase of the land etc. I doubt if there are allotments already and more than 6 people waiting they are oblged to provide more..unprecedented demand at the moment so i suspect that we would have heard by now.; councils would fight to stop a precedent like that....during wartime they ploughed up playing fields etc but can't see that happening now!!

            If you did manage to force your council on that basis you'd be some sort of heroine for the allotment movement...the modern day Gerald Winstanley!!!

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            • #7
              The 6 person clause says if they get requests from 6 or more people the council are legally bound to give the provision of allotments their consideration - not to provide allotments (well that's how I read it). In effect it can just be a tick the box exercise.
              But if this woman you mention is willing to have her ground turned over to allotments you could take that up with the council and see if they will rent it from her to rent out as allotments. You might get a better deal out of that.

              From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

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