How do I apply for an allotment?

bingoclaire

Hi,
I live in Canterbury, Kent, and would love an allotment to grow my own veg - fresh and money saving!
Does anyone have any idea how to go about applying for an allotment plot/any idea how long it can take?
Thanks
Claire

SailorSam

Allotments can be few and far between these days, with long waiting lists to get one,
as an alternative have you thought of 'Landshare'
People who have large gardens who are unable to do them get together with keen gardeners who don't have land of their own. Nobody pays but you make arrangements between yourselves to split anything that's grown.
Enter your postcode in the site to see if there's anything in your area.
Landshare map | Landshare - connecting growers to people with land to share.

3v3

bingoclaire wrote: »

Hi,
I live in Canterbury, Kent, and would love an allotment to grow my own veg - fresh and money saving!
Does anyone have any idea how to go about applying for an allotment plot/any idea how long it can take?
Thanks
Claire

Here you go, Claire
http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/main.cfm?objectid=746

Good luck

forgotmyname

Goto the allotments dont contact the council. Best time is usually sat or sun mornings. We have a little
shop run by the committee. Buy weedkiller and fertilizer etc.

Seems the council may forget to pass your details on.

tanith

I heard from a local gossip that you can jumpt the official 'queue' if you pop along to said allotments and they like the look of you... you might have to wait a bit but you never know they might just find you a corner going begging.. or even sharing with someone who isn't using the whole plot..

Yorkie1

tanith wrote: »

I heard from a local gossip that you can jumpt the official 'queue' if you pop along to said allotments and they like the look of you... you might have to wait a bit but you never know they might just find you a corner going begging.. or even sharing with someone who isn't using the whole plot..

I think that's just wrong. Other people have put their names down on the list and are patiently waiting their turn. Why should they be penalised for playing by the rules, just to satisfy someone else's impatience and disregard for others? If people aren't using their whole plot then they should give up part so that others can officially use it in turn from the waiting list.

3v3

Yorkie1 wrote: »

I think that's just wrong. Other people have put their names down on the list and are patiently waiting their turn. Why should they be penalised for playing by the rules, just to satisfy someone else's impatience and disregard for others? If people aren't using their whole plot then they should give up part so that others can officially use it in turn from the waiting list.

But life is like that, not just on allotments. For example, some people apply for jobs/send off their CV/wait patiently; others actually go to the site and ask. In a number of cases, it will be the person who turns up who gets attention; it says something about a persons character afterall.

Those people patiently waiting their turn, could always visit the allotment, begin to get to know the people there, ask their advice about sowing/hoeing/growing. The simple fact is, a face with a voice and a personality has far more impact than a sheet of A4.

Turn the scenario around: you need someone as a carer for a relation. Are you a) more likely to choose someone from an A4, or b) choose someone who you gelled with, showed genuine interest and could back up their personality with the qualifications on others A4?

These things only seem "wrong" when it doesn't go in our favour.

I'm making friends at my local allotment - not because i want a plot (have far too much garden of my own and too little knowledge!) - but because I want to "learn" and I happen to like people Now, I'm fairly confident that if I applied for a plot, I would be looked upon favourably because I would have built up trust, shown myself keen and not a waste of time/space or simply being "trendy"

People are very naturally "protective" of their personal "space" and allotments renters are no different from home owners; they feel protective of their "space" and want to know who will be working alongside their patch. Human nature really.

tanith

Yorkie1 wrote: »

I think that's just wrong. Other people have put their names down on the list and are patiently waiting their turn. Why should they be penalised for playing by the rules, just to satisfy someone else's impatience and disregard for others? If people aren't using their whole plot then they should give up part so that others can officially use it in turn from the waiting list.

Did I say it was right? Its just the way it is.. there are lots of space thats not being fully utilised and I think its better it gets used 'unofficially' than not used at all.. an allottment holder maybe sick or for some reason unable to give it the attention it needs for one season and would be willing for someone to use it on a short term basis I don't think thats wrong and keeps the plot in good order while the holder recovers or has more time..

Yorkie1

As it happens, I'm not saying that it's wrong because it hasn't gone in my favour. I run the waiting list for my allotment site. It is 3 years long. I assure people that we won't forget about them and that they won't get gazumped. That seems only fair and decent to me.

If the land gets used 'unofficially' then nobody ever gets up the list because of cheeky people thinking they can cut corners - and being allowed to do so.

When people can't or won't garden their plots successfully, then their tenancy is removed or they reduce their size of plot, rather than a failing gardener being bolstered by anarchy.

Other sites may allow this but on our sites we play by the rules.

forgotmyname

Ok if you want to play by the rules contact the council and try to find the person thats in charge of the allotment list
and put your name down. Then wait 10 years because they are doing the job 5 people used to do and lost the scrap
of paper they wrote your name on.

Having issues trying to speak to council workers about my FIL's bills. They are hopeless they do not know their own job titles.
FIL lives in sheltered housing and the Utilities are charged by the council. No bills for 2 years readings on the latest bill do not
match meters. Phoned them and got told to contact my utility supplier? Thats will be you i am phoning you. I could hear the
lady sigh thinking we have a nutter on the phone.
I had to explain several times the council provide the bills and her name and number is on the bill as contact for bill queries.

I went to the allotment one day had a good chat and a look around. Went the next day and got offered a plot. Sorted keys
etc.

The site are hot on people keeping their plots tended though. If your going away for 2 weeks let someone know before
your phone starts ringing. If a plot is too much they would rather you shared half rather than see it going to seed.

Yorkie1

Please stop tarring every site or council with your own experiences of completely diferrent things.

I am in charge of my council site's list. I am a volunteer. I don't lose bits of paper and the list is stored in 3 separate places to ensure safety of data. There are 100 people on the list and it is always available for any FoI requests. At the moment I'm getting phone calls from about 3 people per week to enquire about their position and I can tell them the date they registered, the number they were on the list when they registered, the number they are now, and how long I estimate it will take them to reach the top.

I do a site walk every month or so and ensure letters are sent out by the council. On a site of over 150 plots we have less than 10% at any one time where there is cause for concern about the quality of gardening. Those people either pull their socks up or are kicked off. They don't get their refusal or failure covered up by sharing. Instead, someone else gets the chance to garden from scratch on their own, without having to compromise on their choices for gardening and without resenting the other person for their lack of input.

Like I say, since when was dodging the rules and gazumping others seen as something to be proud of? Yes it happens, but not fairly so.