Protecting UK Allotments

Farida VisResearch Fellow, Information School

University of Sheffield@flygirltwo

Turning Vacant Acres into Community Resources The New School, New York, NY, April 22-23, 2014

What is an allotment?

Small piece of land rented from the council for the cultivation of fruit and vegetables for home consumption. Sign a tenancy agreement every year.

Since the Allotments Act of 1908 a standard allotment is ‘10 rods’. Rods are also called poles or perches. 10 rod = 250 sqm

I’ve had an allotment for 13 years

On our site’s committee for 10 years. Waiting list & new tenants

Voluntary. Dealing with the council’s allotment officer

Founding member of Open Data Manchester – data driven

Individual plots (must be fully cultivated, time commitment)

Community plot (education, different commitment, access)

Site is from 1906

Rule 6 from 1906

Statutory allotments are parcels of land acquired or appropriated by the local authority specifically for use as allotments. These sites cannot be sold or used for other purposes without the consent of the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions.

Temporary allotments are on land which is allocated for other uses but leased or rented by an allotments’ authority. Temporary allotments are not protected from disposal in the same way that statutory allotments are.

Allotments Act of 1908: Clause 23 ensures that councils provide allotments. It takes six citizens for council to consider. Responsibility of local government. If sites are sold money can only be spent on allotments.

‘Public Consultation’ in 2011

Standard ways in which allotments and growing your own are discussed in the mainstream media in the UK:

Dig for Victory (WWII) The Good Life (1970s sitcom)

Huge waiting lists: big demand, tiny supply

In 1940s: 1.4 million allotment plots in the UK. Now: 200,000. Cycles of popularity. What do

you do when everyone wants one again?

National Society for Allotments and Leisure Gardeners (NSALG) – legal support

Perennial problem: good allotment data. Difficult to get an overview of what is going on at local/national level.

Evidenced based policy making on allotments difficult, but it’s also difficult to protect these spaces without data!

Offered new ‘inferior’ site

Allotment Data

Everyday Growing Cultures

Cultural Values of Digging

From Crap to Crop

Portfolio of connected work

New data (through FOI) – From all UK councils.

Tenancy agreements

Changes | consultations

Cost of hiring a plot(past, current, future)

Cost of water use

Discounts

Cost of waste removal

Media interest

Interest from policymakersLocal government

Central governmentInternationally (EU)

Everyday Growing Cultures

Kindling Trust Grow Sheffield

Manchester and Sheffield

No data/map of vacant lots

Trafford Council

Inspired by mapping projects, including 596 Acres

Identified around 5 acres of possible growing land

Rent increases

Who owns the

land?

Switch: data/policy work as ODM

Continued visibility of issues

“England is not a free people, till the poor that have noland, have a free allowance to dig and labour the commons..”

Gerrard Winstanley, 1649

everydaygrowingcultures.org

culturalvaluesofdigging.wordpress.com

f.vis@sheffield.ac.uk

@flygirltwo

@allotmentdata