Agenda item

Update from the Green Space and Allotment Officer (Fiona Warin)

The Green Space and Allotment Officer had been invited to provide an update to the committee on progress against the recommendations of the scrutiny task group.  For the benefit of new members, she explained that in 2011 the council was facing a massive increase to the waiting lists for allotments.  The council had drawn up a strategy for the identification of land and following a mapping exercise, a large site at Weavers Field was identified.  A number of observations, as to how and when the site was being used, were undertaken and with no more than four people using the site at any one time, it was felt that there was scope for the addition of allotments.  This proposition proved very unpopular and gave rise to a number of questions regarding provision.  A scrutiny task group was set up to look at a number of issues including, sites, turnover, waiting lists and legal issues.  The report was taken to Cabinet in 2012 and an update was provided to O&S earlier this year.  She then highlighted some of the progress against the recommendations as set out in the discussion paper.  

The Green Space and Allotment Officer provided the following responses to member questions;

·         Most allotment sites owned by CBC were statutory sites and as such permission from the Secretary of State would be required before these sites could be used for any other purpose.   To her knowledge, no existing allotment sites were under threat.

·         She was aware not aware of any enquiries having been made by any of the people that had expressed an interest in the proposed allotments at Priors Farm.  She suggested that this was latent demand, had allotments been sited on their doorstep, as none of the 80 had applied for the Midwinter site.

·         The infrastructure of all sites was improved in the recent past and as such there weren’t many, if any, further improvements that could be made and as such, the decision had been taken to hold on to the £600k from the Midwinter sale, until new sites had been identified. 

·         Admittedly, sites created by developers were likely to be smaller than those created by the council, given that it was more cost effective for the council to create one larger site, than a number of smaller sites.  This was not included in the policy as this was not strictly a preference of the council.

·         There were not stand pipes to each plot and the taps were switched off over winter to avoid frozen pipes.  Allotment holders were encouraged to collect rain water and funding had been secured to provide 150 water butts and guttering, though many allotment holders had their own arrangements in place.

·         The Hayden Road site was the main site used by groups.

·         Over the years the average age of allotment holders had reduced, as had the size of plot required by most.  The council had adopted a flexible approach with regard to the size of plots being given, reducing plot sizes as required. 

·         There were currently just under 200 people of the waiting list, with all those in the North of Cheltenham having only applied this year.  The issue, as had always been the case, was the South of Cheltenham.  Turnover was very low and people tended to hold on for a specific site, with all but 2 people having been on the waiting list since 2009.

·         The running cost of allotments was subsidised by council tax payers.  Whilst the obligation to provide an allotment to people residing within a parish was with the parish council, the borough council did not refuse applications from people living within a parish.  Supply and demand for the whole borough would be addressed in conjunction with the parish councils in the next allotment strategy.

Councillor Hay was aware that some people were under the misconception that unless land had the new protections, they would not be protected by the old.  This was incorrect. 

The Chairman thanked the Green Space and Allotment Officer for her attendance and the update that she had provided.