Allotment Tenancy

Coppice Road Allotments Association

www.poyntonallotmentgardeners.org

(affiliated to the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Ltd)

craa_org@hotmail.com

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This page last refreshed

7 May, 2012

Allotment Tenancy - how to rent an allotment

The sight of a well-tended allotment garden gives everyone a feeling of pleasure, and perhaps a yearning to have a plot of one’s own, but before rushing to apply for one, make certain you are not just attracted to the ‘idea’ of having a well-tended allotment, but are also prepared to put in the time and effort necessary to achieve it.

Becoming a plot holder on an allotment site could not be easier, just contact your local council, and ask for details and an application form. If there are no current vacancies, you will probably be placed on a waiting list. Be warned, in some areas these lists are long and the waiting time can stretch to years!

Before you do this however, pause for a moment and examine your motives and consider realistically what is involved in taking on an allotment.

An allotment garden is a place, as the name suggests, where you ‘garden’. It is not a nature reserve or a wildlife site, nor is it a reforestation project or a place to store unwanted ‘junk’; it is a garden that needs cultivating, weeding, sowing and planting, feeding and training, and keeping pests and diseases at bay. This takes work, time and some expense. It is not something you can do spasmodically and you will not achieve an instant success. So, consider, realistically, whether you are able, and willing, to put in the time and energy necessary to succeed. If you are sure, and determined, then go ahead and take on a plot

The responsibility for administering council allotments lies currently with the Community Leisure Department of Cheshire East Council. There is a proposal to transfer the administration of Coppice Road Allotments to Poynton Town Council during 2012. Meanwhile, In the former Macclesfield Borough area, the first person to call is:

Mrs. Sue Pine
Allotments Administration
Leisure & Green Spaces - North
Cheshire East Council
Macclesfield Town Hall
SK10 1EA

Tel: 01625 383791

E-mail: sue.pine@cheshireeast.gov.uk

Sue will tell you of the choice of allotment sites within your locality, and whether there are vacant plots available, or whether there is a waiting list. If there is a waiting list, and you are prepared to wait, she will then send you an application form and record your details. The waiting list is maintained in strict chronological order according to date of application.

If you should change your mind, or your circumstances change, or you are going to move out of the area, then keep her informed.

When your name reaches the top of the list, and a plot on the site(s) you have selected falls vacant, you will be contacted. If you are away on holiday at the time, you will be allowed a couple of weeks grace, or so, to return and respond. If you are away for a considerable period, and cannot be contacted, the plot may be offered to the next person on the list. You will, however, be retained at the top of the list ready for the next plot to fall vacant. The council will offer you a specific plot on a specific site, and usually, the name of a contact on that site. You can then arrange to go and view the plot, and discuss any local facilities available.

If you decide to accept the offer, then you will be sent a tenancy agreement, in duplicate. This states all the conditions of the agreement with which you must comply. These are non-negotiable; you don’t get to ‘pick and choose’ which conditions you fancy obeying and which you feel like ignoring. So read the document carefully before you sign. If you are unsure what any of the conditions actually means, or entails, ask for it to be explained and clarified. It is no use pleading ignorance at a later date.

You will have to sign both copies and have a local friend or neighbour to witness your signatures. Then you return both copies back to Sue Pine, together with a deposit (£10 currently, £5 for a pensioner). One copy, countersigned on behalf of the council, will be returned to you after a while; the council will retain the other copy.

Congratulations! You’ve got your plot and can start work; you will be sent a rent bill in due course. The allotment year, in Macclesfield, commences on Oct 1st till Sept 30th of the following year. If you take on a plot part way into a year the first year’s rent will be calculated on a pro-rata basis. If you are a pensioner (65 years or over, for men, and 60 years or over, for women) you will qualify for a 50% reduction in your annual rental. You do not qualify if you are an ‘early retiree’.

Plot rents vary from site to site depending on the facilities available; no mains water and no vehicular access by roadway, the lowest rate; either of the above, an intermediate rate, and both facilities available, the highest rate. You will be charged this rate on the ‘chargeable’ area, in square metres, predetermined for your plot.

The allotments in the borough are subject to regular inspections, often without prior notice. If the council inspector feels that you are failing to comply with your conditions of tenancy you will be sent a letter from the council, giving you a certain time to bring your plot into compliance, Remember, it is council owned and, or administered, land, and you signed a contract agreeing to the conditions.

Allotment Tenancy - getting started

You may be a little apprehensive at first, about meeting the neighbours, but actually this isn’t too bad as the sort of people that ‘do’ allotments are gardeners, and gardeners, in the main, are ‘nice’ people.

As a newcomer, you’ll be joining an already established community so it may take a while before you get to know everybody, but in next to no time you’ll become part of the group.
If you are a novice and know nothing about growing or tending fruit and vegetables, you will find helpful neighbouring plot holders willing to show you the ropes and proffer advice. Even if you don't ask!!

To help you ‘fit-in’ more easily you’ll need to observe the unspoken plot etiquette that operates on most sites. This generally consists of good manners, consideration and tolerance and is mainly common sense, some of it even ‘blindingly obvious’! The following will give you a few pointers to make settling in easier.

Sometimes, a new plot holder, and even existing plot holders, think it might be a good idea to share an allotment with a friend. Apart from being prohibited by a clause in the tenancy agreement, it’s generally not a good idea anyway. You will be reliant on your co-sharer to pull their weight, and they on you, for if either one fails to keep their part of the plot up to scratch, then you risk losing your whole plot. Both of you will suffer the loss of the plot, and possibly the loss of a friendship as well.

The tenancy agreement applies only between the council and the ‘named tenant’. There have been instances where a husband and wife have taken on a plot in the older partner’s name because they qualify for pensioner rebate, even though it is the younger partner that ‘does’ the plot. If the older partner should unfortunately die, the tenancy automatically lapses, the 'doing' partner does not automatically keep the plot. The named tenant may not bequeath the tenancy of the plot to the next of kin, or anyone else, as an inheritance.

Hopefully, nothing so unfortunate will happen to you, instead you will join the growing number of successful plot holders and enjoy many years of happy allotmenteering.

If however, having taken on a plot and having given it your best shot, you aren’t enjoying it, or have insufficient time, or decide that allotment gardening is just not for you, then let Sue Pine know and give it up. Folk will think better of you if you give your plot up voluntarily, rather than wait for the hassle of being ‘chucked off’.

Should you decide that you’d like a shed, or a greenhouse, or any other structure, on your plot, or you fancy keeping chickens or rabbits, then you need to seek permission from the council and submit an application form accompanied by plans for the buildings. Macclesfield do not permit polytunnels on their allotment sites.

Bonfires are permitted only on some sites, but where they are allowed there are some guidelines to be followed.

Your plot will be respected, and no other plot holder will enter onto it, without your invitation. They will expect the same in return.

If you have a dog, you are expected to keep it under control at all times and not allow it to roam freely on other plots. You are expected to clean up after it, especially on communal areas and pathways.

Similarly, if you bring your children onto the site, you are expected to supervise them and not to permit them to wander onto other plots, or become too noisy, and to ensure they tidy up after themselves too. Allotments are full of brickbats, canes and other sharp objects, so be aware for your children's safety as well as for your own. You may even wish to consider the advisability of an anti-tetanus jab.

Many plot holders like a bit of peace and quiet while spending time on their plot, they don’t necessarily want to listen to the top ten hits or the test match latest, on someone else’s radio, so personal earphones please, even if it is your favourite operatic aria!

All this does not mean that allotments are dour and unwelcoming places. On the contrary, the sound of cheerful banter and spontaneous laughter means an allotment site is a happy and successful one.

One of the great moments you will enjoy is the taste of those first crops that you have been impatiently waiting to harvest. Another source of pleasure will be sharing them with your family, friends and dinner guests. Your food will be fresher and more flavoursome than even the ‘swankiest’ of restaurants.

When you reveal to your friends that you’ve ‘grown it yourself’, with just that irresistible little hint of ‘one-upmanship’, they may even become interested in taking on an allotment too, and be keen to know more.

Just point them towards this web site!

For details of allotment plots in the Cheshire East authority you can link to their website here.

An application form for a plot tenancy in the former Macclesfield Borough area can be downloaded here.

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