Topic: How long did you have to wait

[Matizzy]

We went on last November and have just taken it over last Tuesday - so, not too bad in the scheme of things.

[Cuke]

isn't there a local councillor you could get in touch with?  :)

I'm assuming since they've contracted it out to this third part company that we don't really have anyone to go to over their heads.

Although I guess if enough fuss was made to the concel they may have to take a look at what was going on an rap a few knuckles... Part of me thinks they're probably just glad to be rid of the problem though and will just let Accord get on with it...

[Lauren S]

To be told every year for the last 10 plus years that THE TOWN DOESN'T HAVE ALLOTMENTS and me still ringing to find out WHY??
I heard 18 months ago that the town was eventually getting them due to pressure.
Off I go on my hols in May 2006. When I returned my neighbour told me it had been announced in the free paper the list was open.
Two weeks by then had past, so I rang up and shock horror the list was closed and all possible places had potentially gone. (Was I surprised? NO)
Well the new site was ploughed and left, and left....and left.
I then saw huge trenches dug and left.....and left....and left.
Blue piping appeared sticking up at intervals...and left....and left.
Weekly I kept visiting the site to see progress. NONE.
Then, one day last July I saw a lady with clip board in hand and she told me the site was now open as the water had just been turned on that minute. Oh good. Progress. I asked could I go on the list please.
No she told me, we don't have a list. If we open a list we would have too many people on it and won't know who wants one or not
I could have screamed in her face.
27 allotments all craply laid out too, such waste of space.
Anywayyyyyyyyyyyyy. I heard through the grapevine that the list had opened on September 1st and I called on September 3rd as soon as I knew. Yes she told me you are number LUCKY SEVEN.
Off I went to see if anyone was actually on the site to have a proper chat.
I met the chairman of the lottie committee and he told me that he's not permitted to have either a list of allotmenteers OR people permitted on the waiting list as this breeches the data protection. He said when the council first set up the rules they were laughable
1. No sheds
2. No greenhouses
3. Nothing grown taller than four feet and that included NO Runner Beans  :o
4. All plants must be IN and OUT of the ground in SIX MONTHS :o
I had heard these rumours too and now they were confirmed.
Anyway, while chatting to chairman, he told me there were two plots that kept getting refused...Oh I thought I will ring Miss Allotmentdomineering up the next day.
On the phone I told who I was (again) and that I had been told about the two plots that kept getting refused..."I'll take one"....Well she said I would have to go on the list.GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR by this time my blood was boiling. I said..."I'm on the list, you told me yesterday I was #7", "Oh no she said, I miss counted, you are number eleven, I was counting the spaces not the peoples names and got it wrong".....LIAR I wanted to shout.  >:(
Estimated time of waiting is now five more years, at least.
I am SOOOOOOOOOOO frustrated with this town's council. I now know why some people get tractors of manure and hose them down with it.
So that is why my lottie is in Shaldon
Lauren  :'(

P.S Miss Allotmentdomineering told me councils are only obliged to provide plots IF they have land. The town cannot justify buying any land to to suit just 27 people. The other 18,000 people would be up in arms.
I wanted to say...I don't have any kids but I still had to contribute to the d**n playing field wether I wanted to or NOT!!!!!!!

[Cuke]

:(

I'm kind of relived I'm not the only one stuck in waiting list hell!

Your allotment people sound even worse than ours...

[sarah]

blimey lauren they sound like a  right lot of jobsworths. what about the wait for one at shaldon, whats the story like there? is shaldon a different council? its only over the water isnt it?

[Lauren S]

Shaldon allotments are self governing...T/G

[SnooziSuzi]

Cuke,  it's a shame that you couldn't just start tending one of the overgrown plots and when you're asked about it just tell them that you were given the plot fair and square and that it's their stupid unorganised system that's wrong!

... or could you  ;)

[glosterwomble]

oooh Suzi, you devious minx....exactly what I was thinking!!  ;)

[Cuke]

lol now there's a plan.... ;)

knowing my luck I'd just get it all nice before they found me and threw me off... It's silly really at the end of the day everyone on the waiting list basicaly wants to give them money for basicaly nothing from there point of view. They already have the land all they have to do is say 'ok' and bingo...

[louise stella]

I got ,ime almost a year ago (yippee) after applying and forgetting all about it!  I had a choice of 5 plots - the site is now full and we have 80  :o  peeps on the waiying list!

I blame the "telly gardeners" for it myself!

Louise

[legendaryone]

P.S Miss Allotmentdomineering told me councils are only obliged to provide plots IF they have land. The town cannot justify buying any land to to suit just 27 people. The other 18,000 people would be up in arms.
I wanted to say...I don't have any kids but I still had to contribute to the d**n playing field wether I wanted to or NOT!!!!!!!

By law councils have to provide allotments, if your councils doesn't you need to get together 6 people who want an allotment. You have then proven there is a need and the council should provide some land.
You'll have to check that out but i am sure that is correct.  :)


I was lucky enough not to have a wait  :D I went down on the sunday saw the secretary, was shown a very overgrown plot no one had cultivated and i snapped her hand off  ;D ;D ;D  That was year ago and i have loved every minute of it  ;D

[SueSteve]

Hi Cuke,
I did contact the councillor in July!!
I got a reply today!!
Apparently there are spaces at Saintbridge!! I have replied saying that I am very interested in that as ..., and basically sent her my posting from above.
She also said that there was a working party considering allotment allocation for Abbeymead.

"they are considering recommending to cabinet that  a standard for allotment provision of 0.2 hectares (0.5 acres) of allotment gardens  per 1000 residents be adopted. If this is adopted   this  will strengthen the case  for acquiring allotment land though planning agreements. However,  at the same time  we would have to be able to demonstrate that there was a need for more allotments"

the email then goes on to say that as the current sites are not being used to capacity, so it would be difficult to demonstate a need!!!

I don't know about that with a waiting list of nearly 100 (last time I spoke to Accord)
Sue

[tabbycat]

I got mine in April '06, having seen an article in the free paper about the 14 new plots they'd created from wasteland at the side of an established site.

I rang on Friday afternoon, immediately after I'd read the article, left a message saying could I go on the waiting list, got a call Friday evening inviting me down to the site to view the one remaining plot, and signed for it less than 24 hours later ;D

My DH was gobsmacked. All the way home, he kept saying "but I thought you were just going to look at them!"

I think he had a premonition of how obsessed I was going to become! ;D

[Uncle Joshua]

Most of you won't like this but...

I cheated in a way, I had been on the waiting list for an allotment for five years, I had walked round one allotment site for three years and rang the council each week telling them which allotments were unused (it was always the same three) eventually I told them my doctor thought having an allotment would help my depression and within an hour I was given a plot. the depression was true and my doctor did say an allotment would help but I don't think he would have wanted me using the fact to move to the top of the list.

[louise stella]

Why is it that??????

If there is such a blimmin long waiting list all over the place for plots that when you do finally get one you are told "oh! - that one's been empty for years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!".

I think they do it just so you have enough weeds and junk to shift when you do take one on!

Louise

[davee52uk]

I just asked and got one. This was about ten years ago before it became trendy. There were loads of overgrown plots surrounding mine so I took another next to the first one to stop weeds coming in. I have just carried on with the two plots and now there is a waiting list. I don't think this is unfair as I have taken two completly overgrown plots and tirned them into productive ones. These days we clear plots for new users.

[star]

About 48 hours from phone call to getting it.....Northampton. there a few empty / non tended ones, All the other sites have very long waiting lists.