A busy week

Sadly not down on the allotment but in complaining about the state of our allotments and contacting various people.

Some background
The site our allotment is on is VERY neglected. Just 18 months ago only 18 out of around 170 plots were taken, the rest were hugely overgrown with brambles, weeds and trees. At the time we were looking for a plot (late August) access roads were virtually impassable as the weeds were taller than me, it was impossible to identify plot numbers (although the bizarre number system used on the site doesn't help matters there!), and it was incredibly difficult to find your way on to a plot unless you were armed with secateurs as a minimum.

Although that situation has improved a little as more plots have been taken (apparently around 90 now), there is a huge amount of work in clearing the plots, the rubbish (rotten wood and doors, metal and vast amounts of glass on our plot) and cutting down 30+ foot hedges. We don't get any help from the council with any of this.

There is also a car park for the site which remains closed. This is due to 'misuse' in the past when the gates were not locked. Unauthorised dumping of rubbish cost a great deal to remove and comes out of the allotment office budget - which is a pitiful amount for the 3,000+ allotments here in Sheffield. However, this leaves us to park on one of two very busy roads: one very twisty and little wider than a country lane, but is still national speed limit. The other is a very steep hill, also very busy and national speed limit. The other road bordering the site is very busy, but just 40mph speed limit (not that it stops people being killed quite regularly on it!) and signs telling you not to park there...

I enquired to our allotment office whether they had any plans to reopen the car park, they said no due to 'previous misuse'.

Enough is enough
Well that was enough for me I wrote a long and detailed reply to them stating the case (primarily safety and us being penalised for previous tenants actions) for re-opening it. I'm still awaiting a response. I also voiced my issues/complaints/moans on The Grapevine where I received some good contacts for further advice.

I the first instance I contacted the Allotment Regeneration Initiative, via their rep for Yorkshire. I outline all the issues I saw as a problem. The following day I received a detailed and positive response, and also a further contact here in Sheffield. My next contact was with the Sheffield Allotment and Home Gardens Federation (been going nearly 90 years now, but yet to join the digital age!). I spoke at length to the secretary about the site. She was aware of many of the issues already and as an organisation they had been instrumental in attempting to revive the plot. She was again very positive and also told me that the local Area Panel the allotments come under was due to meet soon to discuss allotment, and that they had summoned the allotments officer and his boss to this meeting. This was primarily due to the complete lack of allotments in most of this area (eight year waiting list at the far end of this area!), but they would also discuss the issues with our site at this meeting. The Sheffield Federation were also going to ask for a considerable amount of help in clearing the site as well.

There is of course no guarantee that we will get any help, but you have to ask and make your complaints known. The fact that it also falls in the most affluent area of Sheffield is a bit of a blow, as we're not likely to be qualifying for any grants anytime soon. I imagine most of us on that site don't live in this affluent area though. I did also find out that we are supposed to be introducing a scheme whereby people who take on an abandoned allotment get the second year free. This is a very good idea, I just hope we qualify for this given all the efforts we've had to put in!

Ah, yes the allotment
Despite all that still managed a couple of hours on the allotment today. Dug very little as the bloody blackberry roots take forever to dig out, and I got fed up with them! So, I took solace in cutting down some more of the hedge and clearing some the area where the old greenhouse was, by throwing most of the rotten wood into the border between the allotments. There is still a huge amount of glass to clear from the ground around there though so I was treading very carefully. I also berated myself for failing to bring the camera once again... Sorry!