Topic: Site Hut

[Unwashed]

My site allows individual sheds but the council have refused to allow us to have a site hut.  Does your site have one?  Is it a good thing, or is a site better without a site hut?

[Tee Gee]

Does your site have one? 

Yes we have one but it is a bit of a white elephant simply because since they renewed the door no one can get in, as there is only one key, and the plot secretary keeps a firm grip on that.

Before the door was replaced we all had a key but the powers that be didn't have the sense to have extra keys cut so it sits unused.

At least I don't have to tidy it up anymore ( there are some untidy bu**ers on our site) which I suppose is a good thing.

I have converted the end of my big greenhouse in to an 8' x 6' potting shed so to hell with the site hut!

[lavenderlux]

We have a site hut plus a hut for (field owned) machinery storage/repairs plus a hut for 'trading', all put up since the end of 2004.
In my opinion a site hut for 'getting together' is very important as its a place to meet others and fosters a community spirit among plot holders.   We have a calor gas cooker in ours and have a communal coffee break every weekday morning (sometimes also afternoons and at weekends if a key holder is on site and is willing to put the kettle on).  Its also used for committee meetings.  Our site hut was paid for by a grant from the Council and it was put up in December 2004, its 16ft x 10ft, our machinery shed (paid for by profits from our trading shed and put in in 2006) is the same size and our trading shed (part paid for by a council grant) is 8ft by 6ft. Before we had our site hut we had just an old concrete garage for sales of things like canes, fertilizers etc.   However, our site hut isn't now really big enough as we have lots of involvement with schools (four of them) and 'young offenders' so we are applying for a grant for a larger shed so there is sufficient under cover space for allotment/growing related activities with these groups all year round. 
There's three key holders, the field chairman, the field secretary and one of the field wardens (me). 

[Robert_Brenchley]

We have two huts, a small one which serves as a shop, and a larger one which is a store. We keep larger items of stock and the Association power tools in there. The latter are lent out to plot holders.

[1066]

Very similar to set up to robert, except we only have 1 site hut which is a shop/store for all the shared mowers, strimmers etc
very useful to have but I guess it depends on what you are wanting it for?

1066

[Unwashed]

Thanks for the responses.  I thought a site hut would be create a bit of a social focus for the site.  We could sell seeds, canes, compost - the usual stuff - plus tea and biscuits, and maybe store some communal equipment.  It would also be a nice project building it, bringing us together to help ourselves.

[manicscousers]

we have a large, communal hut 30x10 bought with a grant, as the site is private, so the council has no say..the back half has the power tools, feed, cement mixer(I'm not joking) and anything for the plant sale..the front houses the stove, table and chairs and biscuits  ;D

[kt.]

Ours is the lottie shop & store.  Not really used as a site hut for get togethers except committee meetings.

[BarriedaleNick]

Yep we have a site hut but have found it hard to generate use of it as a social focus.   We used to have a shop which has gone the way of all things and the site hut is used mainly on site days and committee meetings and for storage of tools and records.
Reading stuff here though may just give me some enthusiasm to try to get the shop and social aspects back on track..