Topic: Cheltenham gardener evicted from his allotment

[Pink Fingers]

Don't know if anyone else has seen this. be interested to hear your thoughts ...



For the past 20 years John Weston, 61, has made regular visits to his two council-owned plots where he tends crops of potatoes, spinach, onions, lettuces and soft fruits.

But demand for the allotments has risen dramatically in recent years, and the local authority has clamped down, enforcing rules which state that 75 per cent of the land must be used for growing produce.

Mr Weston, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, admits that his land is not as well-stocked as some other plots, but argues that he uses it as a “rural retreat” where he can relax and enjoy the outdoors. But the plea fell on deaf ears and Cheltenham Borough Council rejected his explanation, serving him with a notice “to remedy the condition of the plots” at the beginning of April, which complained the the allotment had not been kept “fully cultivated or maintained”.

Six weeks later council officers visited his land and found there had been no improvement, so they issued him with a notice to quit. He must vacate the site by Wednesday May 27.

“This has all happened so quickly. I will be devastated to lose the land. It’s been like this for 20 years so I don’t see why I’m being kicked off now,” he said. “In the past allotments were always full of old boys and eccentrics, so nobody took much notice and just let people do their own thing. But now suddenly everyone wants one and the people who have had them for years are being pushed out.”

According to the contract he signed 20 years ago, Mr Weston must keep the land in good condition and allow no more that 25 per cent of it to lie fallow.

But he admits he now only uses around 50 per cent of each plot to grow vegetables and fruits like rhubarb, raspberries and gooseberries. Mr Weston, who works part-time at a garden centre, said he had received no complaints, but the council disputes this.

They claim to have been in touch with him since November after neighbouring plot-holders contacted them about weeds and debris.

“I go down there regularly and while the land is not covered in rows and rows of vegetables, it is designed as a rural retreat,” said Mr Weston, who is married with no children. It might look wild, but it’s got character and it produces enough crops to suit me. Now there’s this sudden demand for allotments, the pressure on the land has increased. It has never been my aim to create a mass-producing site and I don’t think that is necessarily what gardening is all about. I just enjoy pottering about. I sow patches of vegetables and fruits but it’s mostly where I go to relax and be outside.”

The eviction has coincided with an increased demand for allotments in Cheltenham, where there is now up to a seven-year wait to secure a small plot of land.

At the Midwinter site, where Mr Weston pays £24-a-year in rent for each of his two 30ft by 15ft plots, all 154 are occupied and a further 110 people are on the waiting list.

Fiona Warin, the council’s allotment officer, said: “We have tried to identify plots that are not being used so that they can be handed on to keen 'gardeners-in-waiting’. In the past, when demand for allotments was low, people who did not maintain or use their allotments as intended perhaps avoided attention or enforcement action.

“We have been speaking with Mr Weston for six months about the need to cultivate and maintain his allotment plots or give back the large areas not being used so that someone else can benefit. We would not ask any plot-holder who was making good use of their land to hand it back.”

[kt.]

He admits he uses 50% of each plot.  So by default I would say the council could meet him half way and make him give up one plot. Then he would have one fully cultivated plot; that would then give the council nothing to complain about.

[saddad]

Have you seen the pics? On the Mail online...  ::)

[staris]

i've seen the pics ,no way is 50% of that planted unless you count the weeds ;D

[thifasmom]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/gardening/article-1187931/Losing-plot--Gardeners-fury-thrown-allotment-growing-veg.html

he is having a laugh ::), i wonder if he offered to give up one of the plots which would at least allow him to cultivate an entire plot since he is only doing 50% of both.

[Melbourne12]

If he'd had an ounce of common sense, he'd have hired a rotovator for a day and dug the plots over prior to the inspection.  Then told the inspectors that he'd planted potatoes.  It would go back to the weed-ridden mess that he obviously prefers within weeks, and everyone would have been happy.

[betula]

OK not a great allotment but I have seen much worse. :)

I do not think he should be chucked off :(

[SMP1704]

Look out for similar headlines in Isleworth - on our behalf the council has sent out 14 non-cultivation letters with 40 days to put matters right and some have not been cultivated in the 3 years that I have been there, so I can't see much improvement happening in 40 days.

There is one woman with two full plots who uses them in much the same way was the man in Cheltenham - I can't see it ending well.

[Digeroo]

When people are wanting allotments I feel it is wrong for people to have two which they are not using effectively.  A lot of young people are getting interested in vegetable growing and I think it is great.  We have lots of families with children on our site as well as a few mouldy oldies like me. 

[Robert_Brenchley]

One of them isn't cultivated at any rate. We had a situation like this on my site, negotiated, and the person kept one of the plots.

[Mr Smith]

I like the term 'Rural retreat',  two minutes and he must be in the middle of the Cotswolds, :)

[Justy]

If there is a 7 year waiting list then it is not fair to have allotments that he is not cultivating. Just because he has neglected them for 20 years as opposed to neglecting them for only a couple of years is irrelevant!
He should be allowed to keep one though if he promises to look after it. 

[raisedbedted]

Yep hats off to the authority for evicting him, wish there was far more of that.  Its become de rigeur at our site to have two (10 rod) plots in a keeping-up-with-the-joneses kind of way.  The result is that only half of each gets cultivated and the other half is just lawn or a parking space.

And the waiting lists are huge.  >:(

[Old bird]

Had he made an effort to put some work in either plot having been given a warning - I would say keep one plot - but apparently he made no effort so hopefully two new tenants will have allotments for his indifferent behaviour to the Council and his plot neighbours who have had to put up with uncultivated ground with weeds spreading seed onto their plots!

Good for the Council - we need a few more Councils to actually make people either look after their plots or move off to allow others who are keen to grow their own.

Old Bird
 ;D

[Tee Gee]

I'll do my Simon Callow bit;

I think the council is right in this case but common sense should have prevailed and the said tenant should have been advised that he will lose one of his plots immediately for not abiding by the rules.

Plus he should have received a warning olong the lines;  subject to how he kept the remaining plot in the next season he may lose that as well.

Last year we had a similar eviction on our plots.

What happened here was; the new tenant got his plot in January which I may add was a bit of a wilderness.

He worked extremely hard on it, putting raised beds in, a shed and a fruit frame and  got it planted out.

Then alas he took ill and had to go into hospital which, including the recuperation period lasted about four months.

All his crops were ruined but he put that down as bad luck but then in January this year when we all got our 'rent' invoces he got an 'eviction notice'!!

Obviously he was very angry as I think anyone would be.

You would have thought our plot secretary would have explained the situation to the council but it appears he didn't ( reminds me of that other thread about 'plot secretaries when 'power' goes to one head!) but enough said on that matter!

Oddly enough my mate has just broken his leg and is unable to tend his two plots this year so I advised him to contact the council of his predicament before he to gets evicted for not attending his plots, which he has done.

So I think it all boils back to 'comon sense' or in these cases 'lack off' !!

[Unwashed]

The council have behaved responsibly.  They gave the guy good warning and there are a lot of people on the waiting list.  It's not like it's borderline - that plot's just not being cultivated.  I sympathise with the guy, it's lovely to have a bit of land just to call your own, but an allotment is always first and formost for growing fruit and veg.

[daileg]

I agree think enough effort from the council has been given for him to have a go but having 2 plots with neither planted fully even though he has been there for twenty years should have given 1 up in order to keep 1 full plot in order , I might also add having two plots where there is a hefty waiting list should be brought into question on anyones allotment site even if they are kept in good order as for the goverment to offer new sites there will need to be an argument for the real need to cultivate new ground when in some cases there is enough to go around   

[cornykev]

Theres a few on our site got letters last week they don't turn up for weeks on end and expect it to be weed free when they pop their head in for five minutes,and that plots nowhere near 50% more like 10%,look at the plot next to it and imagine watching the weed seed heads growing every week ready to blow onto your plot.  :(      ;D ;D ;D

[Uncle Joshua]

I wish our local council would act in a similar manner, this is the plot next door to me....

[Ninnyscrops.]

That's a disgrace and a waste, Mick  >:(

...but whoever takes on the nettles has a ready supply of dock leaves!

Linda