I've just had a very brief chat with an Allotment holder and he says that they've all received a letter saying that all options are being considered.
Can anyone expand please?
Posted by Anonymous to swanageview at 1:36 PM
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I can confirm that the Town Council is considering selling the existing allotment site, to raise money to plug the massive financial gap that has developed through years of failing to plan maintenance and investment budgets, including keeping the town precept artificially low to win votes. You should be clear that the Town Council has a statutory duty to provide allotments (somewhere), so it would have to provide an alternative site. I understand that alternative sites are now being explored. One is south of the dump in Panorama Road, where building would not be allowed.(Though I do wonder how suitable such an exposed site would be for allotments, especially on old quarry land..)
I believe we should also consider the efforts and investment made by individuals in tendering and nurturing their plots over many years. Yes,money has to be found to provide the services the town needs. But is this the best way? At the least, I would suggest all allotment holders join the allotment association so that they can keep fully informed, and contribute to developments.
Perhaps someone could post a copy of the letter?
whats happening to the 7.2 million from SBV view than?
I should think if STC council sold the site and decided to pay each allotment holder say £10,000 the opposition would soon dry up.
Dear Mr Postman
I'm the original poster, thanks for providing one sensible answer!
If STC do sell the land will PDC's new Planning std's be applied?
If they are it will mean ?40%? (ish) will be affordable - that'd be nice!
Having said that, I think that the legislation concerning replacing Allotments is fairly tight, and largely in favour of the holders - thank someone for that!
Put the allotments up on the old capped tip that STC couldn't foist onto Darwin.
Top qualaeee soil t'ere, 'oi rekon...
oh here we go !!!! Gary Suttle said a year ago that the allotments may be sold off for affordable housing..never mind the allotmenteers ..they could just be moved to adjacent to the railway line..no understanding of the fact that it takes years and years and hours and hours of composting and caring for the land to make it productive. I wonder why any of us continue to live around here with this sort of mindset..everyone under the age of 50 will shortly be migrating to more positive parts of Dorset. I here that Bridport is a pretty good place to be ! or perhaps Devon would be even better.
To be honest i think its about time people on the waiting list started to get on the back of this council as they are not even performing there duty to provide allotements to those on the waiting list let alone starting to think of using the land for building.
Plus someone must be getting short of money and wanting a nice big back hander as the so called affordable housing projects already in the town have taken years to come to anything and one company has recently gone bust so not a great track record.
Why doesn't one of the local farmers provide allotments off his own back? Would it not be profitable? I'd like one at say £100 a year without all the Town Council bureaucracy and petty rules. With my own water, permanent skip on site, communal compost to go at, electricity perhaps, hard standing car parking etc.
Now here's an odd thing ...
There are people, mainly housing association/social housing tenants, amongst private residents who do not tend the huge gardens with which they are, by default given along with the homes they live in, and are supposed to keep tidy as part of their tenancy.
Many are clearly not gardeners, just not interested/lazy and neither do they wish to keep them tidy. Perhaps, all these uncared-for plots could, at least, be detached from the rented properties where there is no intent in making use thereof, and rented out to those who would love to have a patch to cultivate? It seems quite easy to me ... I could point a wouldbe allotment holder in the direction of several unkempt gardens in Langton!
Paul.
yeah, sort of, but not really.
It's also called biodiversity. Leave it alone and let nature do what it does best.
Why doesn't one of the local farmers provide allotments off his own back? Would it not be profitable? I'd like one at say £100 a year without all the Town Council bureaucracy and petty rules. With my own water, permanent skip on site, communal compost to go at, electricity perhaps, hard standing car parking etc.
Why should the local farmers provide allotment land. Swanage already has allotments..its up to Swanage to make sure it keeps them. Land takes a long while to cultivate and make good..
I could point a wouldbe allotment holder in the direction of several unkempt gardens in Langton!
What has Langton got to do with the loss of the Swanage allotments ??
Anon In The Night ... it was only an example of land/plots which could be utilised better by those who are that way inclined, since I believe there is a waiting list?
Perhaps, it's a 'use it or lose it' thing, as long as the demand is there, then disposing of allotment land should not be considered.
Still, if the local council are cash strapped and are securely elected every time without question, they will do as they please won't they, and two-finger the protesters?
Back where I came from, Swindon, Kevin McCloud from the telly programme was permitted to buy up allotment fields to build affordable eco houses, so watch out he could be lurking around the corner, though I doubt it?
Allotment holders were given alternative plots on less convenient, under-used sites and the promise of improvements to security fencing etc., some of which has happened, though most of the houses are still on the drawing board I understand?
Paul.
“Why should the local farmers provide allotment land. Swanage already has allotments..its up to Swanage to make sure it keeps them. Land takes a long while to cultivate and make good..”
Of all the local council bureaucracy the need to provide allotments must be the one to repeal. Why should a few people with time their hands be so subsidised? A glance around the local allotment holders will tell you most are all able to pay far more for their leisure gardening hobby. Most have great big gardens in which they could grow all their vegetables but prefer not to dig up their fancy plants. Let’s privatise it and thus ensure everyone who wants an allotment space will get one.
Of all the local council bureaucracy the need to provide allotments must be the one to repeal.
You must be joking, Where have you been? Get with it! Dig for Britain.
Growing yer own is back in fashion, composting is all the rage.
As one poster said, use it or lose it, is there still a waiting list?
I cant believe the Council is even thinking of this as they fail in there obligation to provide allotments anyway as there are over 70 people on the waiting list. Personally i would love to see the council held to there obligation and provide the allotments they should and if people on the list myself included did this then it would take there mind off building on the others.
I have to say i have nearly had enough of this council and its money troubles when its clear that there is something going on behind the scenes with these councillors that i am looking to move this year. I love Swanage but i am happy to let them ruin it without me living here and my money.
There is no way that the council should be considering selling this land for development. This land should be kept for allotments and as last poster said, more land should be found to meet the demands for further allotments. People on these plots have spent years cultivating and growing crops.
If anyone needs legal advice contact link below:
http://www.nsalg.org.uk/page.php?article=547&name=Allotment+Legislation
See article below:
The Archbishop of Canterbury has called for “unsustainable” air-freighted food to be replaced gradually by homegrown produce from thousands of new allotments...
(http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/earth-environment/article6872027.ece)
International RESOLUTION
http://www.nsalg.org.uk/page.php?article=490&name=International
XXXV International Congress of Allotment and Family Gardens held in Poland from August 28th-31st 2008
THE FUTURE OF ALLOTMENT GARDENS IN EUROPE
The Participants of the congress acknowledge:
That it is essential to protect the allotment gardens for the future by law. This is the basis for a further development of the allotment gardens and a guarantee of their preservation for the coming generations,
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