We have had our AGM today. A recommendation is for an access gate with keys for all plot holders. Our current rent is £20. One concern is the funding of the gate would probably come from the rent. If it were passed what do you reckon our rent increase could be? Has anyone had a huge rent increase after works carried out on your site?
A referendum for plot holders is hopefully gonna be in April. I would probably abstain from voting as my plot does not require access via this barrier due to being on the roadside.
This has come from the local police since the 20 burglary's from our site last weekend.
Would there need to be an annual increase, can it not be funded from a one off payment shared between all members.
at our allotments we have 3 vegtable sales at the local village hall, everybody gives a bit (we all grow to much anyway) last year we raised £500. this money is then spent on anything needed and therefore keeping rents down. The current rent for 2007 is £10 a plot!
Also, the cost would depend on how many plot holders there are on your site to share the burden.
I don't understand KT. If someone can access the site from the roadside, what good is a gate?
If a gate will secure the whole site, then I think that all plotholders should contribute, but getting the money from every single person would be difficult.
So I suppose raising the rent is one way round that. Seems fair to me.
Quote from: vee on February 24, 2007, 23:27:46
I don't understand KT. If someone can access the site from the roadside, what good is a gate?
If a gate will secure the whole site, then I think that all plotholders should contribute, but getting the money from every single person would be difficult.
So I suppose raising the rent is one way round that. Seems fair to me.
The gate is to prevent vehicle access for non-plot holders on the private road that runs within the site. My plot is on the outer edge bordering the queens highway. Money has been agreed from the council already to erect a large fence and concrete gate posts along this boundary. (This took most of last year to get passed by the council, hence this years rise by £5 in April.)
Aah I see. But you will benefit when the whole site is secured by a fencing and a gate?
I wish our council would do that for us. We had to get a lottery grant to enclose the plots and put up all the fence ourselves. We still haven't finished it after 18 months, although it is nearly done now. Before that there was no fencing anywhere.
It's made a difference in that kids and dogs can't just wander onto the plots and we feel more secure.
For the 8 or so plots on this roadside, we will have the fence erected with 2 concrete posts where a gate is to be fixed for access into our plot. It will be our own responsibility to find / build and fix a gate onto these posts. I intend to still keep my inner gate when I do get the outer gate. Only a foot or so gap between them. This fence work agreed does not include a gate for the road.
Most of the recent burglaries must have had vehicles used. Rotavators, petrol equipment. (A year or so prior to me moving to this site, entire sheds lifted & vanished with all the contents still inside! One with hens in! If they just took the shed there would be stuff thrown around the plot - but no - just an empty space.)
I dont not what the rise was as i've only just got our plot and its free for the first year due to its condition, but it is going to be £28 a year. We do have very secure gates and fences tho so there is not access to non plot holders by car or otherwise. love the idea of a veg sale to raise funds for the association tho i'll ask if ours do anything like it. Changing the subject to anyones plots have a seed/plant swap scheme organised havent found out if we have yet but thought it would be a good idea and easy to set up with a notice board in the shed or something?? for things like Jerusalem artichokes, comfrey and horseradish well now im listing them any perenials people must have some spares lerking about!
our rent a year is £38.00 which to sum might seem high but we have a gate ,fence and shop and free to use lawn mowers and strimmers, we have to pay for the use of the rotavtors their £4.00 for as long as u need it that day.
it is quite secure although we have had some breakins, touch wood none of late.
we have around 80 plots on our site.
How about suggesting a combination lock instead of one with keys? That's what we have and they give out a little laminated card with the number on to all plot holders - much cheaper than having to get keys cut for everyone.
:)
we've replaced our locks, bar one, with combination locks..means if you forget your keys you can still get on site..mind you, if your memory goes ? ;D
Get the number tattooed on your hand?
;D
We have just had a new door with a combination lock, put on the back of our site, and it seems to be working pretty well. It is much easier than keys, as long as people remember to lock it up with the numbers facing the fence so you can see it, that is. I can't think that sort of security would rate a huge rise seeing as how it is only going to be a one off charge KT. Our association didn't charge us for the new door or the new combination lock, which just came out of general funds. busy_lizzie
Sorry what was we talking about. ??? ??? ??? ???
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Plimsoll, sounds like you get good value to me! We pay 18 and get nothing- no water, no shop, no association, no fence,......
Quote from: sally_cinnamon on February 26, 2007, 14:51:10
Get the number tattooed on your hand?
;D
poor eric was stuck outside the big greenhouse when we arrived, got the number wrong, it's a new one to protect the plug plants we've bought for the sale day ;D
I like the idea of a combination lock. I will recommend this at the weekend.
we pay £7.50 for our plot hence we have two, we get water, vechile access and it's lockable with a key all alloment holders have a key and we also have a gate at the top end which is lockable. our rent hasn't gone up at all from last year, oh and it's all fenced off. we must be lucky ones
Our rent in Liverpool is £32 including gate with lock (Key deposit £4), water and occasional skips.
From my long experience increases of rent especially low ones are met with howls of anguish. I think you should double the rent and get what you want!
http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments3_finding_an_allotment.html
Hi our rent is £41 for each of our 2 plots, we can get a senior discount os 20%.
This at first glance might seem high.
We have a shop, meeting hall with kitchen,toilet blocks.We even have cooking facilities.
We have lockable containers which we can hire as an extra for 25p a month, we do have a comittee, we pay membership into our association annually, I forget how much but only a little.
All proceeds from the shop, raffles etc go towards equipment or similar things, We have a trip to a flowere show ,no charge for the bus, but you pay your own entry.
We have water troughs down one side of the road that runs through, they are very 4th plot.
They are currently fitting me a hose connection due to a disablity
The whole site is high fenced with high lockable gates, every plottie has a key.
Water, electricity in the hall is all included in our annual fee.
I think this is not expensive considering our facilities
XX Jeannine
There are water locations on our site. But - the location of my plot does not allow water access like all the other plots have. It is a 10-15 minute round trip from my plot to the tap as my access is from the main road . All other plots are 2 minutes max each way. There are 6 plots in this same predicament. Think I will ask the committee for a tap down our end tomorrow....... see whats said.....
Rent is still cheap compared to what some others seem to be paying.
Hiya
£41 doesn't seem very expensive at all with all those facilities. The holy grail of a toilet block and cooking facilities. You could almost live in a shed with those facilities during the summer (perfect for those slug hunting by torchlight evenings) :)
We have water, a ladies only chemical toilet and that's about it. We poor gents have to just hold on.
And all for the princely sum of £15 per rod per year, so my 6 rod plot is £90 per year now. Don't know if anybody knows of anywhere more expensive than Wandsworth but would be delighted to know.
John
I wouldn't use a toilet if we had one. What a waste of good fertiliser!
we pay 50.00 for a half plot now, 25 for the club, 25 for the allotment association, it was that or walk..for that, we get no facilities, not even a road to bring stuff in..we've fenced everywhere with our grant, paved it all with money we had in the kitty, we buy compost out of the association fees, when we get permission to bring it between the pitches, we've piped water up via hoses and stands all around the site..so, your 'landlords' aint so bad, after all ;D
Blimey i can't believe the difference in prices/facilities in different area's. There is a massive difference!
I have only had mine for a week but i pay £20 a year. Occasionally the council bring either manure down or some other stuff that i cant remember lol We have taps every 3 plots (the water wasnt working when i first got there tho) but i think thats it.
Although the tennents rep is fab! He has a tractor and will plough and rake your plot, or do anything else you ask him too! He has a fab set up too! He has 3 plots and on one he has a huge shed wth a kitchen and dining area!!! His missus brings up the meat and they eat straight from the ground, in the shed! The smells wafting round are divine!
You lucky people! I'm so envious.
We pay £38 per plot and for that we get absolutely nothing except water. We had to get a lottery grant to fence our plots. Our council takes the rent from self managed sites and gives back just 15% of the total rents for the allotment associations to run them. Because our site is 'managed' by the council we pay our rents and get nothing back at all.
Is it usual that the council keeps such a large percentage of the rents on self-managed sites?
QuoteWe pay £38 per plot and for that we get absolutely nothing except water.
You get water! We dont even get that, but at about £7 for a large plot, I suppose I cant complain ::)
cj :)
Was it Monty Python who did the sketch where 3 or 4 blokes tried to outdo each other in terms of how hard life was when "they were a lad"?
Allotmenteers from the early to mid 19th century will be shaking their heads in the graves as we debate that well-worn topic that is the allotment rent.
In their day the annual rent was roughly the equivalent of one week's pay for a plot that was up to a quarter of an acre .. and there were still long waiting lists .. and remember that we are generally talking about the poorest sections of society.
Using that basis and the current average weekly wage figure I estimate that the rent of a 10 pole plot would now be around £115.
Oh .. and no water of course .. and the plot will be an average of 3/4 mile away from your home .. and needless to say you will have to walk there .. and as for a shop!?! .. and a club!!!!
Moving on from the bah humbug tone .. we pay £20 for approx. 8.5 poles (two small plots). The site has a locked gate and a reasonable water supply.
Hi,
We pay £12.50, we have a half plot. No facilities, but low outer fencing.
There are 30 plots at our site, with 2 water supplies.
No sheds allowed, which is a pain for having to bring tools everytime, but its an allotment, and we can grow our veggies, so we are happy.
Quote from: ktlawson on April 20, 2007, 23:48:11
There are water locations on our site. But - the location of my plot does not allow water access like all the other plots have. It is a 10-15 minute round trip from my plot to the tap as my access is from the main road . All other plots are 2 minutes max each way. There are 6 plots in this same predicament. Think I will ask the committee for a tap down our end tomorrow....... see whats said.....
Asked the committee at a meeting - and got blown out the water. No chance, no funding, too expensive & they are on a water meter already so wont add anymore. - If wanted to dig by hand 2 foot deep channel from a tap around allotments to our track