Forty-year wait!

[Flighty]

Reading this earlier

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8193100.stm

makes me feel rather sorry for anyone on these waiting lists!

[Flighty]

[ceres]

They did a piece on the BBC London News at lunchtime about it from a site at Highgate.  It explained that Inner London boroughs are exempt from the provisions of the Allotments Acts hence the waiting lists in London.

Also said that you can cut £950 a year off your shopping bill growing your own fruit and veg!

[saddad]

I feel bad telling people they will probably wait over a year...  :-X

[elvis2003]

I feel bad telling people they will probably wait over a year...  :-X

me too,me to,although its more like 2,3 or even 4 at ours

[flowerofshona2007]

We are running at 14 year wait !

[Sparkly]

What a nightmare!

I think the waiting list is 1 year - 18 months estimated at our place. The thing is that alot of the new tennants are quite keen and the main turnover was from new people only staying for 1 year so not sure how that is going to pan out. I am on the waiting list for another plot and have been on it for about 8 months. Think I am about number 7 or 8 now.

[BarriedaleNick]

We have 60 plots and our waiting list closed when it hit 30.  We only loose 2/3 a year on average so we could have a 10-15 year waiting list.  Having said that the popularity could wither away in years to come.  The crazy thing is that even though we explain why the list is closed - people still want to be added.

[Seaforth Allotments]

We have 60 plots and our waiting list closed when it hit 30.  We only loose 2/3 a year on average so we could have a 10-15 year waiting list.

Our local site apparently has 89 plots (it looks a lot fewer to me!); the waiting list is around 60.  If allotment turnover is similar to that at your site (scaled up: three to five), the wait might be as long as 15 years...

This is why I'm trying to persuade my local council (Sefton) to increase availability by opening a new site!  Suitable land has been discovered, but converting this to allotments is not considered "cost-effective"...

Curse this infernal recession!   :P

[elvis2003]

We have 60 plots and our waiting list closed when it hit 30.  We only loose 2/3 a year on average so we could have a 10-15 year waiting list.  Having said that the popularity could wither away in years to come.  The crazy thing is that even though we explain why the list is closed - people still want to be added.

our list is also closed acc ording to the council website,but they still pass my number on to people wanting plots,and im sure they dont mention the waiting list cos folk seem so sure they will be getting a plot when they call.
lists should remain open anyway,so that local authority knows what the current demand is,so they can provide more land ( yeah,right!)

[earthmother]

i feel sorry 4 those who have all that time to wait. we have just got our allotment which by the way hadnt been cultivated since 1979, so you can imagine what that was like. but we have stuck at it and have now got it all cleared, a shed up and it all fenced off. and yesterday our first raised bed was done.what i cant work out is why people sign up for one then never do any work on it. we have a few were we are.   

[macmac]

 cant work out is why people sign up for one then never do any work on it. we have a few were we are.   
Earthmother I think every site gets people like that, I think they like telling people they've got an allotment.We've had people on our site who hammered in 1/2 dozen wooden pegs and pushed a spade in (they didn't dig) and did nothing else for two years :o For me the biggest mystery is that they're allowed to get away with it  >:(sorry to rant but it's my pet hate.ps Welcome :)

[Flighty]

Earthmother a warm welcome to A4A!

Macmac there's at least one on my site, and I agree with what you say.

[Digeroo]

I had to wait thirty years, there are no local authority allotments here.  Ours are now on the path of the proposed bypass.  Hope the recession continues so that no one has any money to build one. 

It seem to me rather frustrating that people are on waiting lists and then take over an allotment that has not been used for years. 

I am sorry to say this because I know some people pay very little but the cheap price of allotments is certainly not helping. 

And I also know that this is not a popular sentiment but some allotments look very scruffy.  The ones in the next town, viewable from the main road, are quite a turn off for anyone considering letting their land for this purpose.

What we need is a directive from Brussels, maybe a grant from the EU.  Contact your MEP.  If landowners got grants for allotments they would spring up overnight. 

We have about 40 new allotmenteers on our site and it will be interesting to see how many give up at the end of the first year.  Most seem very keen but there is already a waiting list.

Suitable land has been discovered

I think that the answer is to become proactive in organising allotments.   Suggest that instead of asking for allotments you find a site and then ask for a grant to get it started.  Local authorities have a lack of money and many more pressing priorities.  I don't know the exact figure for turning our site into allotments.  One communal shed, a bit of plumbing, some fencing, and a gate, and a load of wooden marker posts.

converting this to allotments is not considered "cost-effective"...

You will just have to find the money to make it cost effective.

[macmac]

Digeroo I would hate it they increased allotment rents, we are  on a small income and work our plot to capacity ,we also help other plot holders my OH strims , digs and builds sheds/greenhouses/compost bins all for nothing just to help out.We know several folk in a similar position who are good allotmenteers just  because something costs a lot of money doesn't mean people look after it  >:(

[TommyTomato]

Maybe they should update the laws pertaining to the use and upkeep of  allotments....make it contractual that they will be used and maintained..or taken off you....maybe after 1 or 2 years of no obvious attendance by their owners...

[Arthur Fallowfield]

I only waited three months, but I made a nuisence of myself! My (half) plot was taken by someone who never did a stroke of work on it and made the excuse that he didn't have any tools! >:(
I've heard the suggestion of a CV and references, maybe not a bad idea!

[archiesdad]

Got mine within a week of applying to the local council - that was 18 months ago - there is now a waiting list on our site too.

Since I got mine there have been 3 starters and leavers - people seriously under estimate the amount of work it takes to get a plot under control.

[non-stick]

We had to wait 3 and half years for ours. I've heard all plots in the town are occupied although there are at least three on ours (out of 16 - it's a small site) not being worked, two haven't been touched all year.

I agree with the comment about some people not realising what they are taking on. One on our site has four people "working" it. So far this year (they got it last year) they've stuck in a few raised beds which are now growing thistles, poppies and a few bolted lettuces. 90% of the site is barely touched. As far as I can tell they seem to use the site as somewhere to dump their garden waste. Plot doesn't need to be immaculate but you need to work at keeping it under control. They look at us and say "you've done well". That's because we work at it. Old boy next to me gets furious about their (lack of) efforts

[Squash64]

When I decided to have a plot in 2001 I had a choice of about 8.  Now, even though I have split plots and increased the number from 97 to 110 every plot is taken and the waiting list is currently about 30.

[Trevor_D]

I think we all have newcomers who seriously under-estimate the hard work necessary to get a plot up & running. We are in the process of setting up Starter Plots for those with no experience: just 2 beds to look after and plenty of input from us. Hopefully, they will then be fired up to take on something larger next year.

It's also helping to reduce my 20-plus waiting list!