The Allotment Site
The Coppice Road allotment site is situated on the outskirts of Poynton village in
Cheshire, UK. It is on council owned land and was managed by the Community Leisure
section of Macclesfield Borough Council. On April 1st. 2009 the borough council was
subsumed into the new local authority of Cheshire East. The site was created in the
early 1970’s, in response to demand for allotments by a growing population within
the village.
There had been allotments near the centre of the village earlier than this, behind
the then Brookfield Hydro cinema, believed to be on land belonging to St George’s
church, but these had closed some years earlier and the land no longer available.
Initially there were 27 plots, 26 on the newly formed site, and a further plot, already
established, some distance away attached to the rear garden of a nearby house. This
plot was abandoned a little while later, and never reinstated.
The majority of the plots are of regular rectangular shape, except for those that
follow the boundary of the rear gardens of houses on Coppice Road. The areas of the
plots were mainly around 165 square metres, though one or two were slightly smaller,
and a few others approached 200 square metres. All are less than the standard 300
square yards (250 square metres). In recent years, following the rejuvenation work,
a number of plots have been split in half to yield plots having an average area around
75-80 sq.metres.
A small satellite site was added in 2006, created with voluntary labour and council
funding, to give an extra four plots, each of 60 sq. metres. The total number of
plots on the site is currently 43, including the association communal plot, part
of which is used as a demonstration area.
The bulk of the site slopes towards the west, most plots following this contour,
except for four plots at the top of the site, which are on mainly level ground. The
site had been used in the 18th and 19th centuries for coal extraction, and parts
of the site still bear evidence of this activity in the shale, pieces of coal and
clay present on some of the plots. Other plots are comprised of fairly light, free
draining sandy soil, whilst those at the top of the site lie over a seam of clay
and possess poorer drainage.
To the north are open fields of pasture, and to the south, boundary hedges or fences
of the gardens of houses along Coppice Road.
A public footpath borders the western boundary, turns east up the northern, inside
edge, of the site, and joins another footpath at the east of the site.
Mains potable water is provided to the site by 4 standpipes.
Vehicular access to the site is via a track of compacted hardcore (MOT limestone
ballast). There is a small car parking area at the top of the site, and there is
vehicular access to plots along the two side driveways.
