Farm Terrace Allotments ( image courtesy of Sara Jane Trebar)
I wrote a while ago about my allotment and what it means to me. Shortly after that it appeared that there would be large hikes in the rent and there was a worry that the site might be sold. Whilst the management of the site is undergoing some upheaval, rent rises have been put on hold and selling the site is not on the cards. It’s a different story for the allotment holders of Farm Terrace Allotments in Watford, though.
In June 2012, the mayor of Watford Council, Dorothy Thornhill, wrote to allotment holders telling them that they were considering selling off the allotment site for development in conjunction with other land. The developers would build 600 new homes, with about 60 of them on the allotment site, and retail space and, in an agreement between them and Watford Council, potential profits would then be used for the regeneration of Watford General Hospital. Six months later, the council voted in agreement of the proposal. It was suggested that allotment holders at Farm Terrace would be offered plots at another site some 2 miles away.
It’s a sad story but, unfortunately not an uncommon one. Land is at a premium, especially in urban areas where there are pressures on any space that is not already built on and, as green spaces go, allotments seem bottom of the pile when it comes protection from development. When it was announced that the current government planned to sell off our woodland in an attempt to raise money there was an enormous outcry. How could they even think of it? The resulting campaign was so successful the government backed down. I imagine if they tried to do the same with our parks the nation’s response would be the same, so why don’t we all get behind the plight of threatened allotments in the same way? Well, maybe because we don’t all have one or because we aren’t interested in gardening or that the issue is very specific to a particular area and doesn’t then get national coverage. The situation with Farm Terrace though, is symbolic of so many other problems facing our country that it should be of interest to us all.
Allotments really are a unique part of our heritage. I would spend childhood holidays travelling the long journey from the north-east to Cornwall with my nose pressed up against the window watching in fascination as the allotment sites whizzed past. The little worlds that were created, with their sheds and crop protecting contraptions, intrigued me so much. Then there were the days spent at the allotment of a friend and his dad. I can still see us playing in the greenhouse with that warm, damp air and the smell of tomatoes that was so potent. Why allotments are treated with such disdain by councils, politicians and developers I don’t know? We’ll give dreadful pieces of architecture that nobody likes listed status, protecting them from the demolition team, and yet small patches of land, vital bits of green space that give people a sense of belonging, that give them the opportunity to grow their own healthy food and to get fresh air and exercise while doing it don’t matter. I know, instead we’ll build yet more ‘homes’ that are so poky and unattractive and have no outdoor space of their own, oh and I’ll throw in yet more shops because we really need more of them.
Farm Terrace Allotments (image courtesy of Sara Jane Trebar)
We do need good health care facilities and providing them isn’t cheap, so when businesses step in and say they will contribute to these costs it’s no great surprise that our leaders have jumped at the chance of this private investment. The problem is it does leave us exposed to those with the power and in today’s world this is big businesses. These companies deal in the realm of profit and loss and the problem is not everything in life can be measured in these terms. Libraries are closing across the country, deemed not to be not worth the expense any more, and yet what could be a greater expression of a civilised society than these places of learning and their resources that are free to all. For me, allotments too are a symbol of a society that understands and appreciates what makes for good and happy lives. To allow allotments to be concreted over when the government is constantly going on about the need to eat healthily and tackle obesity is like selling off school playing fields but spending billions on hosting a huge sporting event.
Allotments should not be treated as if they are just another scratty piece of land ripe for development. They deserve to be protected as part of our cultural heritage and also for what they give to people today and for future generations. Who knows how climate change will affect our food supplies but with so much of it now imported and worries regarding food security for the government and councils not to recognise the true worth of these plots of land is yet another mixed message in today’s confusing world.
I hope so much that the action group that has been formed to save the Farm Terrace Allotments can find some way to halt the destruction of their much loved plots. If you’d like to find out more about the allotments, the story behind their campaign and to sign their e-petition please go to www.farmterrace.btck.co.uk.
Maybe you could just have half of it with someone else. And put down some mulch and plant some fruit through it, maybe a tree or two, wouldn’t need much maintenance… Where I have my little plot there are fancy sheds and paved seating areas with vines around them and fruit trees. Oh yes, maybe you’re right, that could take a vast amount of time and money. I do dream though…
It’s scandalous, isn’t it? You’d think there was no demand for allotments the way the councils are so quick to sell them off, yet most sites have waiting lists. Just goes to show how missed these sites will be when there’s no plots left.
How dispiriting. Yet another sign of the malaise infecting the country, the prizing of the bottom line, money saving etc above things that actually change quality of life. So we build more tiny houses with tiny rooms and windows and near-nonexistent gardens but plenty of tarmac for cars and yet more indetikit shops. Allotments provide such a wonderful source of exercise, social life, outlet for creativity, breathing space, can be an immense help to those with mental health problems. I am incensed at the lack of understanding and hence lack of valuing exhibited by this sort of short termism. How much better would it be if central government mandated that every X number of new houses had to be accompanied by Y allotment plots, right there, in the middle of the housing, providing leisure, food growing opportunities, scope for community activity with its associated reduction in crime and vandalism… Aghhhh! Am off to sign that petition…
Well said Lou; I came across this story on Twitter at the weekend so it’s great that you’ve added your voice to the outcry. I’d like to add that, having introduced a few children to gardening both in my community veg patch and at a school gardening club, it’s a modern fact that most children simply do not know what they’re eating; to them, all food comes in plastic trays or boxes from the supermarkets. I play a seed game with them, asking them to match the seed to the vegetable or fruit. The sainted Jamie Oliver is trying to get food growing onto the school curriculum but this will not go far enough to allowing kids to really experience the seasonal thrill of growing plants from seed in the same way having a garden or allotment would. In my view, we need more allotments, not less.
Its a crazy story, when there are such long waiting lists for allotments, the community spirit they provide, the health benefits, the green space etc etc. Its just scandalous. Well done on writing a great post highlighting the plight of this site.
On my way to sign.
Like Caro I was aware of this via Twitter but good for you for having the presence of mind to post about it. Despite a strong local campaign against, Uckfield Council built a truly horrible estate in a beautiful valley of unimproved grassland; a very scarce habitat. The houses were then marketed with a photo of a young girl holding a fern frond and proclaiming that it was a beautiful, natural setting. Made us weep. And a campaign against an incinerator in poor, blighted Newhaven also failed. The incinerator now sits in the middle of the Ouse valley, surrounded by the National Park and visible from miles around. Nice. Let us hope that in this particular case sense will prevail. Dave
I agree with you. It makes me mad to think such important, and productive land can once again just be sold off to the highest bidder. What happens when we’ve built on all the land? How will we get our food needs? Importing is not the answer. We need to be able to grow our own. Land should belong to the people, not just the richest.
I wholeheartedly agree with all that has been said so far. I have not long had my plot and I would be totally gutted if it was now taken away. I shall be signing the petition.
I read this great interest the other day and then forgot to comment!
I’ve been following Sara at Farm Terrace Allotments on Facebook and Twitter as It could so easily be my allotments and battle.
Needless to say I agree with all you say. I find it dispiriting that bureaucracy is so self-serving and short sighted, and more so now than ever before.
I really despair at times when with just a little common sense and foresight it could surely all be so much better for us all. xx
The three large fields that make up the allotment site where I garden have the most inspiring mix of tenants. There are young families, students, eighty year old men and women, various nationalities and several gardeners with mental health conditions. Growing food in the fresh air is immensely rewarding and taps into a primitive need that quite literally grounds people. Whilst I accept there’s a desperate need for more housing there are many urban sites that could be built on.
More people in the area will mean more green space needed not less.
So saddening to read of this, just signed the petition. We are fighting our own battles in Hastings; the first of many proposed road builds throughout the UK and Wales, right through beautiful countryside, that may have been the route to the 1066 Battle, right past a community agriculture project, through woodland and marshland which protected species inhabit. Please the support the protests. People power.