Waiting lists for allotments in thousands

Apr 6 2010 The Journal

THOUSANDS of people in the North East are waiting for allotments, new figures have revealed.

But with no new plots being brought into use budding gardeners seeking to emulate TV series The Good Life face waits of up to five years in some areas.

Across the region’s seven councils, 6,696 people are on lists hoping to get a plot, and demand has risen sharply over the last few years.

The figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show in North Tyneside there are more people waiting for an allotment than there are plots.

Across the 46 council-run sites there are 1,205 plots, but there are 1,922 on waiting lists.

The council says it is aware of the problem and is working hard, through its allotment strategy, to find innovative solutions.

In Newcastle there are 766 people waiting for allotment plots. The council manages 62 sites in the city which have a total of 2,316 plots. Many are let as half plots. One site, St Anthony’s in Walker, is closed to new applications.

In recent years hundreds of plots at Fenham Allotments, Grandstand Road and Castle Leazes have been axed as the Freemen of the City ordered the land to be returned for grazing, though the city council has no powers to stop this.