Could be a long wait

[ChrisB]

Guess what

I was offered half an allotment last night, Will have to severley downsize the plans I had but it will do for starters.

Going to meet the secretary tomorrow at 9.30 a.m, keeping my fingers crossed that it's not a field

Seed catalogues have now come out of the cupboard, must try and be sensible.

Thanks for your support

[Peter]

T....... especially when I've been told there will probably be 3 allotments coming up for grabs shortly, and I'm no 4 on the list ......................

Chris, would that be as a result of cutbacks, he asked with a wink, from four to one as a result of business rundown.

[bubblewrap]

I only just found this Thread, and it's got me going! Bloody cheek. What I would do - apply again, but with a man's name. Christopher? See how quick a plot becomes available then!

CYRIL or BERT might be better (They sound like oldies)

[Mrs Dobby]

Great news Chris B, hope you enjoy it, and you never know, once they see how well you do, they may offer you a full plot too! We've found that on our site you usually get offered a half plot thats not been used for a while first, and then if you do well with it they will give you a bigger bit or a second plot if you want it! I think we only got the full plot first time cos there were 2 of us!

[Dobby]

Go for it Chris
show him you are just as good if not better than him

[ChrisB]

How wrong can you be!!!

Got there 9.30 (in fact got there early I was so excited) waited for thirty minutes, nobody turned up, just as I'm leaving I get a call asking where was I.

The call I received the other night was from somebody I have never spoken to in my life from allotments a couple of miles away. I can only assume the council passed my details on as I have only phoned the delectable George on the allotments across the road from me.

As I work full time. by the time I get home sort out the chickens, dog, cat, Uncle Tom Cobbley and all, I don't feel I could do justice to the one I was offered, whereas the one across the road I can fit very nicely into my life, so I'm still waiting.

Found out my friend George has 8 allotments!!!!!! and elsewhere a VERY large polytunnel, and apparently he isn't the only one who has more than their fair share of allotments on this site.

Am I correct in saying that proceeds from the sale of produce and bedding plants should go back into the allotment association?

[nick the grief]

I'm not sure of the exact wording in the Allotments Act but it's something along the lines of " the majority of the produce has to be fore the use of the family renting the plot, so if he's got 8 & only sell the stuff on 2 or 3 I guess you could argure he is complying with the letter of the law if not the spirit. Maybe an annonymous call to the Tax man is the answer

[greenlung]

After waiting 2 years for my plot, I found out that I could have speeded things up if I'd bypassed the man 'in charge'. Dunno if that might work for you ; )

[ChrisB]

If you bypassed the man in charge, who could you have gone to?

[Peter]

If you bypassed the man in charge, who could you have gone to?

The Council, starting with its officers (employees) and moving on to its members (councillors) especially those on the Allotments Committee. Tactful phrasing of the problem is advisable.

The fact that you as a resident are being prevented from having an allotment by the councils appointed representative abusing his post for personal gain and further by using his excessive holding to run a business, which is specifically prohibited by the allotments Act.

The only downside is if the bugger finds out it was you who dobbed him in .

Do you have a seriously non-gardening friend to use as a stalking horse. He/she could apply, encounter the same problems as you, discover the same issues as you and take the issue all the way, with minimal repercussions.

[noidea]

Quite outraged by reading this! I would have been furious and finding out he has 8 would have really got to me!

I have put my name down for 3 locally and the waiting list is 6 YEARS!!! I was gutted when I found that out. I did it all through the council offices.

Does anyone know if I would be better starting to hang out down the allotments annoying people instead???

C

[yoanbob]

dont know, ours is alone and we kinda inherited it, but getting an extention next year as the council arnt doing anything with the land next door, i have heard of people getting one of sites like ours by going around looking at what land is being used and what isnt and offering to take it on, like ours you might end up clearing up for a few years but it will save time in the long run.

[kernowyon]

at our site as the waiting list grew, people that had more than one plot had to surrender them to cater for the new people. we applied through the council and were told bout the list, but then on the off chance went past the site and pestered the chairman of the association who was there on his own plot. 10 days later and Ta-Da!!! someone had given up the plot and we just took over there and then as the two people on the council list above us were not replying to phone calls.

so it is worth making yourself known to the local association chairman/president etc, if not to scrounge a plot then just to make your face known.

[ChrisB]

I agree with the above, show your interest and it may just prove lucky. At least it will be known that you are genuinely interested

[moggssue]

Hi all, I'm a newby so excuse me butting in! I've been on a waiting list for 18 months now and got a phone call in March to say I'm top of the list if still interested. OF COURSE!! I was thinking of hanging around the site as well, I know there's at least one plot there looking very untended - would it be very un-neighbourly to report it do you think?