The English allotment lottery mapped
Hundreds of freedom of information requests have revealed the length of council allotment waiting lists and the rents.
See the data and an interactive map.
www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/interactive/2011/nov/10/allotments-rents-waiting-list-england
Allotment Waiting Lists in England 2011
This study is an update of waiting lists at those allotment sites owned and managed by principal local councils in England (ie not including town and parish councils). It shows that waiting lists remain high and that despite the large demand for allotments, there seems to have been little increase in supply.
The number of plots in new allotment sites brought into use by local authorities in the last year was only 939. This figure represents only about 1% of the number of people on local authority waiting lists.
Download the full report at this link www.transitiontownwestkirby.org.uk/files/ttwk_nsalg_survey_2011.pdf
Download a spreadsheet containing all the responses.
In addition, the individual council responses can be viewed on the website www.WhatDoTheyKnow.com. This is a website which helps you to submit requests for information to public bodies, under the Freedom of Information Act, 2000.
Search for the council and you will see all the FOI requests sent to them via the website, and all the responses received.
Allotment Waiting Lists in England 2010
This study looks at those allotment sites owned and managed by principal local councils in England (ie not including town and parish councils). It shows 94,124 people waiting for 158,796 plots on these sites. Thus, on average, waiting lists have increased from 49 to 59 people waiting for every 100 established plots - an increase of 20% in the last 12 months.
In this time, only 483 plots in new allotment sites were brought into use by these councils.
Download the full report at this link www.transitiontownwestkirby.org.uk/files/ttwk_nsalg_survey_2010.pdf
Download a spreadsheet containing all the responses.
A place to grow
A supplementary document to Growing in the community
February 2010 Produced jointly by LGA and CLG, a response to increasing demand.
Discusses waiting lists and how councils can work with others to help more people get growing.
Can be downloaded free from the LGA website.
Community Land Bank
The Government has officially announced plans to help local people grow their own food, by working with the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens (FCFCG) on creating a Community Land Bank. For more details see the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens website
Can You Dig it?
On 12th September 2009, the New Local Government Network released a report Can You Dig it? Meeting community demand for allotments
"This paper argues that the revival in interest in allotments should be harnessed.
We make a series of recommendations on how we can create, promote and protect them. Britain needs a new Dig for Victory campaign that recognises the myriad of positive outcomes that allotments can bring, that captures the public mood and which ensures a sustainable approach is adopted."
Securing food supplies up to 2050
In July 2009 the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee published a report Securing food supplies up to 2050: the challenges faced by the UK
It acknowledges the important role of home-grown food and recommends that "When it has been established that there is an unmet demand for allotments in a local authority area, the Government should require the local authority to publish, within three years, a plan setting out how it proposes to meet the demand."
Allotment waiting list survey 2009
In June 2009, Transition West Kirby and the nsalg published A survey of allotment waiting lists in England which confirms the extent of the increasing unmet demand for allotments.
It looked at those sites managed by the principal English councils. It showed that on average, for every 100 established plots there are now 49 people on waiting lists. In the last major study in 1997 there were 4 people waiting for every 100 plots in England.
The authors intend to repeat the survey in 12 months to monitor the situation.
Download a spreadsheet containing all the responses.
In addition, the individual council responses can be viewed on the website www.WhatDoTheyKnow.com. This is a website which helps you to submit requests for information to public bodies, under the Freedom of Information Act, 2000.
Search for the council and you will see all the FOI requests sent to them via the website, and all the responses received.
In the press
Jamie Oliver urges people 'get aggressive' for allotments
Telegraph 5/6/2010
Councils exploit legal loophole to get out of providing allotments
Telegraph 22/5/2010
New Community Allotment Gets Welsh Government Funding
E Gov Monitor 6/5/2010
Ways of increasing the amount of land available for allotments in Scotland have been discussed at the first Growing Spaces summit, set-up as part of the Scottish Government's commitment to provide more support for 'grow your own' initiatives as part of The National Food and Drink Policy.
Scottish government news release 4/5/2010
English allotment waiting lists jump 20%
The number of amateur gardeners waiting for an allotment has jumped by 20 per cent over the last year ...The Telegraph 26/4/2010
Inquiry into the Provision of Allotments in Wales by the Sustainability Committee of the National Assembly for Wales
...Response from the Allotment Regeneration Initiative 21/4/2010
The Scottish Government shows concern over allotment provision
The Scottish Government is considering holding a conference to discuss an allotment shortage across the country.
The Press and Journal 4/9/2009
William Wallace: Dig for victory in the allotment revolution
"Britain imports half of the food its people consume ..." Yorkshire Post 14/8/2009
Wandsworth Council and Age Concern launch unique scheme to cut allotment waiting times
"A unique new scheme is cutting waiting times for allotments and helping older people take care of their gardens ..." 24dash.com 10/8/2009
National Allotments Week: take councils to court to get allotments
"Neil Dixon, chairman of the National Allotment Gardens Trust, has urged people seeking allotments to take their councils to court to force them to provide land in the run-up to National Allotments Week ..." The Telegraph 6/8/2009
Roll out the barrows: You don't need an allotment to grow your own!
"...three enterprising groups who have found their own solutions." Daily Mail 1/8/2009
Tesco hails the good life by renting out allotments
"Tesco, the UK's largest retailer, has applied for planning permission to create allotments ..." The Telegraph 26/7/2009
Landshare goes live. A place linking people who want to grow their own fruit & veg to space where they can grow it. Landshare website
Article about it in The Telegraph 2/2/2009
Monty Don explains "how tenuous our food supply is" . . .The Guardian 19/2/2009, mp3
Offices urged to set up a vegetable patch in drive to boost gyo
The Telegraph 19/2/2009
National Trust to give land for allotments
The Telegraph 23/01/2009
Helping Scots to 'grow their own' "The Scottish Government and other public bodies are to explore how surplus land could be made available to help more Scots 'grow their own'." Scottish Government News 16/10/2008
Return to the Good Life is the solution to the food crisis "People should dig up their gardens and start growing their own fruit and vegetables in the face of a looming world food crisis, according to the man who coined the phrase 'food miles.'..." The Telegraph 28/09/2008
Law threat on allotment provision "The NSALG is warning it may have to take legal action if the growing demand for allotments is not met ..." BBC News 26/05/2008