Explore / What activities should parks support? / Allotments

allotments 05

Allotments

Including allotments in a Parks Charitable Trust could bring expertise and skills into the charity and provide the opportunity for additional health and wellbeing activities. This could benefit both the charity and allotment holders in many ways, but it could mean other changes to how allotments are managed and run.

More Info

Should allotments be included in a parks Charitable Trust?

How would you improve this or do it differently?

Share your ideas and opinions to shape the future of our parks!

Civic Centre Workshop Three

Civic Centre Workshop Three
24/04/2017

"Overall, we think that allotments should not be included for several reasons: allotments are self-regulating and self-sufficient. Incorporating them into a Trust puts them at risk of the significant cash sinks that currently affect parks, and this is potentially unfair. However, allotments could work in partnership or have a representative into the board of trustees or directors of a potential parks’ trust." —Workshop Team Three

0 0

Civic Centre Workshop Two

Civic Centre Workshop Two
24/04/2017

"We are unsure. Bringing more food growing activities into the parks would be a good thing.
Doesn’t necessarily need to be a case of bringing in the allotments, but could be working together with them for skill sharing. Creating more community allotments and foraging opportunities in the city would be a good idea." —Workshop Team One

0 0

City Library Workshop

City Library Workshop
24/04/2017

"We wouldn’t like to see allotments being reduced either by increasing rent or building houses. Allotments should be protected and we think that the Allotment Associate are already doing a great job." —Workshop Team Two

0 0

Mark Ryan

Mark Ryan
21/04/2017

The fees should probably be increased or the park should allocate a number for volunteers and education with the end result being produce sold to generate money for the trust.

0 0

Allan Rowell

Allan Rowell
16/04/2017

Our parks and allotments hold most of the remaining fertile soil left in our urban areas, we really need to use at least part of this resource to teach our children (and adults!) how to grow their own food. There is currently a nascent local food movement, people are choosing to pay a little extra for ‘organic’ food whether that is certified or not, i.e. food grown without the use of petrochemical based fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides. They choose to do this rather than buying food from the other side of the world, and so reduce air miles; they choose to do so because of worries over food security given climate change, peak oil and the resulting instability of world markets.

Given more publicity of this movement, I believe more people would choose to buy locally produced food from a charity set up to look after this land.

0 0

Allan Rowell

Allan Rowell
08/04/2017

Something needs to be done with allotments, currently there are many plots going unused, people take them on, then get bored with them but are happy to continue paying the annual fee as it is so small in comparison with other entertainment. The plot sits there unused, this is not good use of community land. This is not to say that fees should be massively increased, there needs to be some commitment to provide the sites for low income families. There needs to be greater scrutiny of whether plots are in use - even if this is only annually - and then some system to take them back under community control if they are not being used.

0 0

Ruth Flecknell

Ruth Flecknell
06/04/2017

Allotments contribute to the environment so are as vital as parks. They should be protected and funded separately. Increasing fees would make them not affordable for unwaged..both parks and allotments encourage mental and physical health, so perhaps the NHS could be included in funding them (a prescription for fresh air). Certainly health charities could be approached for contributions.

0 0

Leazes Park Workshop

Leazes Park Workshop
31/03/2017

Would not like allotments to be reduced, either by increasing rent or building houses. Allotments should be protected. The Allotment Association do a great job already! -- Workshop Team 2

0 0

Leazes Park Workshop

Leazes Park Workshop
31/03/2017

Variable take up of allotments, therefore increase in fees unadvisable. -- Workshop Team 2

0 0

Twitter

Twitter
30/03/2017

0 0

Twitter

Twitter
30/03/2017

0 0

Twitter

Twitter
30/03/2017

0 0

Twitter

Twitter
30/03/2017

0 0

Jesmond Dene Workshop

Jesmond Dene Workshop
23/03/2017

"Allotment should not be included in the responsibilities of a possible trust. Though making or providing community allotment – communal plots in the parks for communities as done in Gateshead for those who don’t have access to gardens. This would provide opportunities for young people and schools to be more involved in activities." — Workshop Team 3

0 0

Jesmond Dene Workshop

Jesmond Dene Workshop
23/03/2017

"Allotment could be part of the same umbrella (trust) but run separately." — Workshop Participant

0 0

Jesmond Dene Workshop

Jesmond Dene Workshop
23/03/2017

"Allotments are not a public space – including them into a possible charity would raise their fees. I think Allotment should be kept separate, in order to ensure the security of tenure."— Workshop Participant

0 0

Jesmond Dene Workshop

Jesmond Dene Workshop
23/03/2017

"yes, allotments should be included but may need to be managed separately because of different needs. Expertise in cultivation and land managements could be transferred to care and maintenance of wider parks. Could some allotment produce be sold at parks’ markets?" — Workshop Participant

0 0

Jesmond Dene Workshop

Jesmond Dene Workshop
23/03/2017

"I am dubious about the benefits of including allotments with parks in a trust. Allotments are rented by individuals whereas parks are freely open to the public." — Workshop Participant

0 0

Jesmond Dene Workshop

Jesmond Dene Workshop
23/03/2017

"It would be good to share ideas and practice but this could be done with or without the allotment joining the parks’ trust." — Workshop Participant

0 0

Dave Poste

Dave Poste
22/03/2017

I think that there is a big difference between the purposes of allotments and of parks and that running allotments will only be an unnecessary distraction for the proposed trust unless the allotment rents bring in a substantial revenue stream, which I doubt. If the council wants rid of the allotments they should be in a separate allotments trust.

0 0

Leazes Park Workshop

Leazes Park Workshop
21/03/2017

"We have an open minded about the option of including allotments. But more information is needed. It would seem that if they are to be included there would need to be a completely separate entity. If it meant taking land away from parks we would be against it." — Workshop Team 2

0 0

Leazes Park Workshop

Leazes Park Workshop
21/03/2017

"In principle, it seems like a good idea. It could be used for health pedagogies – with community and social prescriptions." — Workshop Team 3

0 0

Science Central Workshop

Science Central Workshop
01/11/2016

“Including allotments could lead to increasing activities such as urban farming with huge potential to increase community involvement” – Workshop Participant

0 0

Science Central Workshop

Science Central Workshop
01/11/2016

“Fruit and vegetable grown in some land currently allocated to allotments could be sold – but would this be scalable though?” – Workshop Participant

0 0

Science Central Workshop

Science Central Workshop
01/11/2016

“There could be annual competitions for park and allotment show” – Workshop Participant

0 0