About us
The Coppice Road allotment site came into being in the early 1970’s in response to
a demand from residents in the Poynton area.
For many years, though managed by the former Macclesfield Borough Council, (now Cheshire
East), contact between the individual plot holders and the council was difficult
to coordinate. During the 1990’s the site began to decline, both in its appearance
and in the numbers of plot tenants. In an effort to reverse this trend, the plot
holders on the site formed themselves into an association in 1999. Regular contact
with the council was established, and work undertaken jointly to regenerate the site.
Though the site will shortly be directly administered by Poynton Town Council, the
association will continue to work to improve and maintain the site, for the greater
enjoyment of its members, and to improve its visual amenity value for the local community.
This arrangement has worked well, to the mutual benefit of the allotment holders
and successive local authorities. With a mixture of cooperation, consultation and
self-help initiatives, the Coppice Road site has benefited from a range of improvements
that have transformed it from its unprepossessing former self, into a vibrant, forward-looking
and friendly allotment community.
Membership is restricted to allotment tenants, and is optional. Though a very small
number of tenants prefer not to take advantage of all the benefits provided by the
association, they do enjoy many of the improvements that the formation of the association
has brought to the site since it was established.
The association, through its volunteer members, maintains the communal areas of the
site, and tenants are free to express their own individuality and creativity on their
plots. The Council monitors plot utilisation and cultivation, by randomly timed site
inspections, and is responsible for ensuring their conditions of tenancy are upheld.
Other sites within Cheshire East are ‘Association Managed’; that is, the site’s tenant
association assumes some of the administration work in return for a discounted rent.
The local Town, or Parish, Council, as landlord, controls the conditions of tenancy,
though the association also monitors plot utilisation and cultivation. Membership
of the association on these sites is normally mandatory.
Yet further sites within Cheshire East continue without a representative site association,
but through a site liaison representative or ad hoc committee. This is a somewhat
‘loose’ arrangement and difficult for good communication between plot holders and
council. Many town and parish councils are now encouraging plot holders to form an
association on many allotment sites, to assist in better liaison and to enable associations
derive the additional benefits that may be obtained.
We hope to show, through this web site, the benefits that the formation of a plot
holders' association, and a degree of self-help, can bring. By illustrating our successes,
and our mistakes, we hope to provide a little guidance for other allotment holders
wishing to improve and revitalise their sites
It is one of our aims to form links with other sites in the region so that jointly
we can continue to improve liaison with the respective councils and other public
bodies, working to enhance facilities for all plot holders, and promote allotment
gardening as an enjoyable and healthy pastime. At the same time, by creating attractive
sites with greater visual amenity value, we aim to improve the ‘standing’ of allotment
sites within the wider community.
