Allotments 4 All
General => News => Topic started by: Pink Fingers on May 26, 2009, 23:20:44
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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.”
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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.
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Have you seen the pics? On the Mail online... ::)
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i've seen the pics ,no way is 50% of that planted unless you count the weeds ;D
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/gardening/article-1187931/Losing-plot--Gardeners-fury-thrown-allotment-growing-veg.html (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.
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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.
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OK not a great allotment but I have seen much worse. :)
I do not think he should be chucked off :(
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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.
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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.
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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.
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I like the term 'Rural retreat', two minutes and he must be in the middle of the Cotswolds, :)
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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.
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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. >:(
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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
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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' !!
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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.
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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
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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
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I wish our local council would act in a similar manner, this is the plot next door to me....
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a85/mickwall/pt2.jpg)
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a85/mickwall/19052009343.jpg)
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That's a disgrace and a waste, Mick >:(
...but whoever takes on the nettles has a ready supply of dock leaves!
Linda
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Whoever takes it on? he'll never leave!!
I contacted our local council two years ago regarding the same matter two years ago and nothing happened so just sent them this....
leelee.yu@kirklees.gov.ukCc: kirkleesgp@btconnect.comHi Leelee
I contacted you regarding an allotment inside Liversedge cemetery (plot 7) since I contacted you nothing has changed, Mr Barton still only visits his plot 4 days per year and still has such a large portion of the half plot next door that nobody can use what he has left of it!!
Here are a few pictures of Phil's plot....
http://s9.photobucket.com/albums/a85/mickwall/?action=view¤t=pt2.jpg
http://s9.photobucket.com/albums/a85/mickwall/?action=view¤t=19052009344.jpg
http://s9.photobucket.com/albums/a85/mickwall/?action=view¤t=19052009343.jpg
Out of all the allotments on our site four are used in a normal manner, four are taken by a father and son team, four inc the one used by the secretary are unused and a half plot has been rendered unusable due to the actions of Barton, the secretary of our site while a very nice man is unwilling to take any form of action to resolve the situation and has let his own allotment fall into a state of disrepair and all this when we have a huge waiting list.
I can only see this as unfair on the people that want allotments and would work them as they should be worked, please don't let another two years pass by without any form of action being taken to rectify this situation, I as I'm sure others would, would be happy to take the roll of site secretary to ensure or site was run as it should be.
Mick Wall.
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good luck mick,i do feel for you ! would any other plotholders write a similar letter?
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good luck mick,i do feel for you
Thats a good question, two fellow plot holders are members of A4A so will read what I have said here first!!
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Our local parish council run ours. A good friend had to leave his plot last autumn, it was taken over within weeks and it's now a thriving weed plot. The occupiers have had warnings, a final letter and a last inspection this weekend, and as far as I know, they will be off if nothing has been done to show it's being cultivated.
If you have the time, and let's admit it time is precious, go and stand in front of someone at your council offices until you have satisfaction either by way of a letter that something is going to be done, or even better take a dictaphone in with you, that'll goad them into some action!
Linda
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Don't forget to inform the local press about what you're doing in time to get a photographer there!
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what a waste of a lovely size plot >:(
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Good luck with it Mic
Re: the evicted old fella
Fair enough as he isn't cultivating the plot.
We have a similar situation on our site with an older bloke, who whilst he is lovely and very friendly, doesn't cultivate his plot. He does patches with beds, but large areas are filled with couch grass and brambles. He has been asked to drop to half a plot, but he refuses. In reality he actually uses much less than half a plot anyway. His plot is at the boundary of the site and, due to all the brambles, you could not get down the site of the fence for the whole of his site (there should be a 3ft path here). The committee went in and cut down all the brambles on this path much to his complaints. I personally, and others, have offered help in terms of digging over his plot for him, helping him cover areas and edging it properly. He doesn't want help. Very sad because, in reality, he is likely to loose his plot.
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Mick - good luck with your neighbouring allotment problem. I would go to whoever runs the site and hope that you can stir them up to take action!
Is there a waiting list for your plots? If there is try and find someone on it who will also kick up stink as they want what your neighbour is not looking after and will give the council or whoever more leverage against the old guy!
I feel sorry for some of the people who are likely to lose their plots as - maybe it is their - "Space" - but it really isn't and they must know that they are holding others back!
Generally if you don't have a committee or site representatives - I think it quite in order for a few of you - to form one and help cajole individual lottie holders into getting help to cultivate if there is a chance that they will be able to carry on once clear - or give up half for someone else.
I think it is a mightly shame that anyone has to put up with a weed strewn patch of brambles and nettles which will spread seed to your plot.
Good luck all who try to get some action this way!
O B
;D
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Mikc, don't know if you've got local elections coming up or not but contacting your councillor can be a good scheme too, particularly given the popularity of allotments and all the press on about growing your own
1066
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The council did the right thing here. But as allotmenteers I don't think we should worry about anyone's plot but our own.
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The council did the right thing here. But as allotmenteers I don't think we should worry about anyone's plot but our own.
But, the neighbouring plots will be worrying about their own. I would not be happy with all those weed seeds.
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The head honcho from the council is coming to see me next week so we may get something done. :)
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They are doing this on Radio 4 at the moment - You and Yours - you should all be able to have a listen on listen again thingy.......
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Good Luck with the meeting Mick... :)
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I didn't think one person could have two allotments. I did think about putting one in my partners name but find one more than enough for me, and as I get older may have to reduce to half a plot. Spoke to the Council man yesterday and he said that due to the high demand for allotments they would be inspected more regularly and notices sent out if people weren't cultivated their plots, which I think is reasonable. Hopefully we do not all have to have uniform pristine plots, but really overgrown ones and people to keep their plots and only turn up a few times a year is a bit selfish, I think.
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I feel for the chap who got evicted. It's difficult to find a balance between the established tenants, the newbies and the demand for plots.
However, allotments are for growing vegetables not a rural retreat, so he had to go.
Our committee have worked hard to get a full site of worked plots and it now seems to police itself. If a plot starts to look a bit neglected the tenant gets a phone call to check everything is ok. If nothing (or very little) happens this is followed by a warning letter then eviction notice. Depending on circumstances this can take a few months, but all new tenants are warned of the "use it or lose it" policy when they sign up.
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The chap from the council came to see me today, it turned out that the guy that came to see me is a green party counciler so I'm hoping he'll take action very soon and not wait until I get fed up and contact them again.
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Hi Mick, it might be worth doing a follow up email to remind him of your meeting, how good it was to meet him, how you appreciate his interest etc, mind you being a green councillor you'd hope he wouldn't need reminding ;)
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Good Luck Mick