Chairman’s Chit Chat October 2024
I am increasingly worried for the future of our allotment site.
There has always been a variance in the state of plots – some pristine, others a little less so – and inevitably, I suppose, a small number completely unkempt.
Sadly, the situation has flipped and the unlet/unkempt ones now outnumber the total of the other two categories.
The popularity of allotment gardening has always been like the phases of the moon; it has waxed and waned. When Jessie and I took on our plot 28 years ago we had the choice of at least three vacant plots. Then, for many years, there was a continual waiting list for plots to become available. Now there is no waiting list and prospective tenants are rarer than hen’s teeth. One would think that today, with the awareness of food miles, provenance, sustainability and the cost-of-living crisis, people would be clamouring for a piece of land on which to grow their fruit and vegetables.
Over the years it has been interesting to see the comings and goings of tenants. There is one action by a new tenant that always sets the alarm bells ringing among the “old sweats.” On the first weekend of the tenancy the new allotmenteer arrives with a gaggle of friends and family and, before a sod is turned, erect a shed.
This guarantees they will not last more than two seasons.
The other type of new tenant to be wary of is the one with grandiose plans:
“Oh yes, we are going create a replica of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, have guineafowl and/or peacocks, three beehives and a wildlife pond.”
One year maximum!
I am not a great one for conspiracy theories, but who is to say there is not a hidden agenda here?
The allotment site is owned by City of York Council but “managed” by the village Parish Council.
“Managing” seems to consist only of letting plots and collecting the annual tenancy rent.
With central government pressure on local authorities to build more houses, maybe it is in CYC’s interest to have unlet, unkempt allotments. They could then claim there is no call for such a facility and decide to sell the land for redevelopment.
This would be an attractive proposition for both parties.
A greenfield site on the edge of the village, with good road access for the developer and CYC, would have a substantial amount of ill-gotten dosh in the coffers.
Until that dark day arrives, I shall continue to cultivate my little piece of Nirvana.
But I still worry!
Tags: allotment, hanging gardens of babylon, nirvana