A NEW LOCAL AUTHORITY APPROACH TO ALLOTMENTS

Despite a long-term decline in the numbers of people gardening on allotments (in part due to changing lifestyles; in part to an increasingly outmoded image of allotments to younger people, and in part to a lack of investment in allotments) there are some sparkling examples of allotments which have strong take-up, well-managed plots, well -funded maintenance and wide community participation.

Indeed, in terms of the wider policy environment, there has been no greater potential than presently exists for the reinvigoration of allotment gardening since the 'Dig for Victory' days of the second world war. And yet, the word 'allotments' is largely missing from the vocabulary of such policy, even though the activities and potential linkages inherent in allotment gardening are strongly related to new policies promoting healthy living, community development, environmental education and sustainable development.

New concepts of Best Value make it imperative that local authorities integrate and harmonise different elements of their services to deliver shared goals, and ensure that services are delivered efficiently. Through shared action to promote vibrant allotments, local authorities can help to secure health, leisure, education, sustainability and planning objectives.

Community development initiatives need to utilise existing resources such as allotments and widen their use and appeal.

Planning policies and sustainable development initiatives need to protect vulnerable land uses like allotment sites, so that they can continue to contribute to the achievement of open space planning, sustainable development and bio-diversity objectives.

Leisure services and plans need to recognise the linkages between their aims and objectives for healthy living and active recreation, and allotment activities, which are very important for all age groups, but especially those not normally participating in active sports.

Quality of community life - there is potential for mentoring of young people by older people in cultivating plots, fostering education and community cohesiveness.

Modernised local authority management regimes can help to achieve these aims. In particular, they can have a positive impact by moving away from the still characteristic tenant/landlord relationship between allotment holder and local authority and towards one of joint stakeholders working for a common purpose.

Part and parcel of this is to create local political ownership. This can be achieved by recognising the potential role of allotments in local community development, for example through schemes for devolved management.

In Bromley, the council leisure and community services department has been at the forefront in developing a vibrant allotments movement over two decades in which all 52 local allotment sites have taken up delegated-management through leases and licences with the Council.

A hard core of allotment managers set up the Bromley Allotments and Leisure Gardens Federation, which acts as the voice of the local allotments movement. The Council initially determined rents and fees, and then set de minimis levels (to ensure sufficient income was obtained), but now each site sets its own levels.

The Council established a Leisure Gardens and Allotments Consultative Panel to considers matters raised by the Federation on maintenance and investment issues and to plan for social activities. The Panel of seven Federation members and six elected members from the Leisure and Community Services Committee is chaired by an elected member. It is important in creating political champions from among the elected members on the panel in taking issues to the main leisure and community services committee.

Strong political voices are needed to overcome the barriers to a renaissance of allotment gardening represented by the position of allotment managers as lower-tier officers in local authorities, and the lack of a strong professional representative body for these officers. Political champions may help relieve a constrained budgetary environment; speak up against development pressure on open land; help to promote allotments generally; and improve maintenance regimes. Where this happens, the way is open for occupancy of allotment plots to increase and the cycle of decline - which presently affects too many allotments - to be reversed.

Though such strong local champions do not widely exist in local authorities, many authorities have recognised there is a clear and important role for allotments within our towns and cities. It is vital that they build on this, through concerted joint action with allotment holders and local communities, to tackle traditional attitudes about allotments.

The first step is to re-conceptualise the role, purpose and meaning of allotments to local communities and integrate them with local authorities' wider objectives for sustainable development, Local Agenda 21, open space, bio-diversity, healthy living, and community development.

The Local Government Association has taken a lead by working with cutting-edge local authorities, the National Society of Allotments and Leisure Gardeners (NSALG) and many others to build on good practice in allotment provision, with the intention of spreading it to other authorities - where, in many cases, allotments are undervalued as a resource, and often face strong development pressures. For whilst the legislative process governing allotments provision is labyrinthine, the LGA considers that much can be done to secure the future for allotments by building on the good practice that does exist.

And as stated above, the LGA has joined forces with the DETR, Shell Better Britain Campaign and the Greater London Authority to commission a good practice guide to the management of allotments, a copy of which will be sent to each local authority in April 2001.

A NEW GOVERNMENT FRAMEWORK

The complex legislative and regulatory web surrounding allotments provision and maintenance is archaic. Seven major Acts of Parliament predating 1950, and at least four others since then, make up the legislative context for allotments planning, provision and protection (see below).

The broad legislative framework for allotments provision

Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908 - Repealing and consolidating allotment acts dating from 1887, 1890 and 1907, the 1908 Act covers mainly the provision of allotments and compensation payable to tenants on termination of their tenancies.

Land Settlement (Facilities) Act 1919 - Made amendments to the 1908 Act, making Metropolitan Borough Councils Allotment Authorities.

Allotment Act, 1922 - Covered the release of land requisitioned for allotment use during the First World War. The Act also gave some measure of security of tenure to tenants of allotment gardens and improved rights of tenants to compensation on termination. The Act has been amended by the Local Government Act 1972. The establishment of allotment committees is no longer compulsory for urban authorities.

Allotment Act, 1925 - Required town planning authorities to give special consideration to allotments when preparing town planning schemes. This safeguard was removed by the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947.

Small Holding and Allotment Act, 1926 - Made a number of improvements to the law mostly concerned with small holdings.

Agricultural Land (Utilisation) Act, 1931 - Encouraged the development of allotments and smallholdings.

Allotment Act, 1950 - The main points of the Act are as follows:

• The duty of authorities to provide allotments should be confined to allotment gardens.

• The provisions relating to rents that may be charged for allotments was amended.

• The period of notice to quit was extended to 12 months as a far as allotment gardens were concerned.

• Compensation should be payable to an allotment-holder at whatever season of the year a tenancy terminates.

• Allotment-holders who have allowed their allotment plot to deteriorate through neglect should be made liable to pay compensation for dilapidation on quitting.

Town and Country Planning Act, 1971 - covered forward planning of allotments.

Local Government Act, 1972 - made a number of amendments to the 1908 Act in matters of detail.

Local Government Planning and Land Act, 1980 and Local Government and Planning (Amendment) Act, 1981 - Consolidated planning legislation which has further influenced the forward planning of allotments.

Understanding the legislation is often a major - and sometimes an insurmountable - first hurdle for local authorities wanting to tackle their allotments responsibilities in a comprehensive way. All of the statutes need to be used if local authority roles and responsibilities are to be carried out effectively. For example, the 1908 Act sets out local authority obligations; the 1922 and 1950 Acts refer to how far these obligations extend; the 1908 Act deals with how local authorities should acquire land to fulfil these obligations; and the 1925 Act covers how to dispose of this land.

In addition, there is confusion over the status and protection afforded to statutory and temporary allotments. In the case of many allotment sites, it is not even known whether they are statutory or temporary. The processes governing the disposal of allotment land, the framework within which the demand for allotments is met, and the regulations governing plot use are major concerns of allotment holders and local authorities.

It is clear that in the long-term, a new allotments act is needed to rationalise and clarify allotments law. In the meantime, Government departments urgently need to improve their guidance and the regulation of allotments activities.

The Government needs to provide a platform now for the renewal of allotment gardening in the 21st century. Several routes are open to achieve this, including a full -scale review of allotments legislation and the bringing forward of a new allotments Bill. Alternatively, Government should support a consolidation of existing legislation in a new allotments bill.

THE ROLE OF ALLOTMENTS

National and local policy development needs to weave allotment gardening into the mainstream policy agenda, by recognising its benefits and promoting policies which encourage and safeguard its role. These roles include those at the heart of sustainable community development.

Allotments as a sustainable source of food - Increasing people's awareness about food and how it is made and grown can encourage people to eat more fresh vegetables and fruit. There are benefits to the environment, achieved through providing a local source of food which doesn't have to be transported over great distances, is often free from chemicals, encourages the composting of green waste and may offer dietary benefits at low cost to people on low incomes with poor access to store-bought produce.

In Bristol, the value of allotments to sustainable development has long been recognised. Networks of growers, distributors and sellers have developed. Local Food Links carries out such activities, supported by the City Council's Sustainable City Team. Local Food Links has carried out research on promoting allotments for the City Council. The Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens also participated to determine what factors are important in promoting take-up of vacant plots, especially where there are sites with many vacancies. The Council has now widened its initiative to include a Community Growers Project which will include growing on any garden or publicly available land.

Allotments as a resource for health - Working an allotment offers healthy physical recreation for all people. It is increasingly being recognised for its therapeutic value, to the extent that it is being prescribed as a treatment for stress by GPs in some areas. Given the increasing density of urban development (in the context of the predicted growth of UK population and households) opportunities to enjoy quiet relaxation, such as that offered by allotment gardening and to enjoy physical activity in a creative way, are likely to become increasingly important.

In Nottingham, the local authority allotments services work closely with local health bodies to promote the benefits of allotment gardening. For example, the authority supports the Eco-works project, which provides opportunities for people with learning difficulties at the St. Ann's Allotments site. The site caters for a wide range of people from disadvantaged communities, many of whom are unemployed and some of whom have mental health problems. The project offers people a place to come to, to have some exercise and structure in their day and encourages people to develop self-confidence.

Allotments as a community resource - Allotment gardening is a great leveller! It can bring people together from all age groups around a common interest. It can help to foster mentoring relationships where more experienced gardeners can pass on their knowledge to younger or less experienced ones. Allotments often bring together people from a wide variety of social backgrounds, and the activity lends itself to co-operation and contact.

The community benefits of allotment gardens can extend to open-days and annual fairs at which produce can be sold. Links with local community groups and schools can further increase the importance of allotments as a valuable community resource. If allotments can become more important to local communities, then problems with security and vandalism should decrease, demand should increase and participation should widen.

Situated on 38 acres in Handsworth, Birmingham with a 400 allotment plot, Uplands Allotment Association is at the forefront in developing local community activity and awareness, co-ordinating and enabling local people to have their voice heard. The association was one of the first to demonstrate widely how local allotments can be a valuable community resource. Its activities now extend well beyond the allotment gate and into general community matters, developing a working relationship with the local authority.

Now well-documented, the Uplands Association has been very successful in embracing local people from a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds, engendering an openness that has encouraged community development. The association's annual festival attracts local, regional and national publicity.

Allotments as an educational tool - There is considerable scope for schools to link up with local allotments societies to use allotments and the skills of plot holders to participate in school education projects. This again has the benefit of fostering contact between generations.

Increasingly, there is a need for children to be taught about where food comes from, and the value of fruit and vegetables to a healthy lifestyles: school-based projects offer an ideal opportunity to do this. Food growing can be linked to cooking within the school curriculum. Some schools in Birmingham have done this since the 1980s, where it has led to after-school gardening clubs and cooking clubs.

Gardening projects can exploit children's enthusiasm about gardening to teach them about core curriculum subjects, including maths, science, geography, history and English.

Wootton Primary School in Oxfordshire set up a project which linked their school with one in Thailand. Produce from the school is sold, with profits going to the Mok Taew School. This project has raised multi-cultural awareness for both schools.

Allotments as a resource for bio-diversity - Informal woodland, long grass, a pond or stream running through the site, hedges of wild damson trees are all examples of opportunities for wildlife to thrive. The range of plants on allotments sites offers a varied and valued habitat for flora and fauna. In addition, compost and wood piles provide habitats for wildlife.

Allotments are often located adjacent to other open or unused land which makes them important links in green chains and corridors running through towns and cities.

Allotments as open space - Open space is becoming intrinsically more important within our communities as the intensity of development increases in response to growing population and the demand for more households. A smaller proportion of dwellings is likely to have access to a garden. The potential exists, if they are promoted through proactive strategies and partnerships, for allotments and other forms of community gardens to become important recreational assets and open space amenities for people living in dwellings without gardens.

Allotments can also perform a valuable function as a productive temporary use of open land which may be allocated to some other future open use (such as burial land) and which therefore cannot be built on.

MAKING CONNECTIONS ACROSS STRATEGIC POLICY AGENDAS

At national and local policy levels, the roles described above need to be translated into practical policy in a number of areas.

Local Agenda 21/Community Planning - This participatory approach to planning for sustainable development offers a valuable tool for widening involvement in allotment gardening, increasing take-up of existing sites and reducing vacancies. A key factor in gathering more support for allotments in our communities will be the encouragement given to wider sections of the community to take part. Local authorities need to promote allotment gardening, and allotment holders and societies need to promote their activities by inviting the community to participate in them.

The new powers in the Local Government Act 2000 for local authorities to promote the economic, social and environmental well-being of their areas (coupled with the duty to produce a community strategy for promoting economic, environmental and social well-being, thereby contributing to the achievement of sustainable development) offers a valuable opportunity to develop the potential of allotments in the way that this Advocacy document suggests.

Local authorities may wish to consider whether allotments could form part of a local self-sufficiency indicator which assesses the proportion of food grown locally against food imported from outside the region, taking account of the value of fresh, locally-produced food, and the reduction in food miles.

In Dartford, self-managed allotment sites have formed their own group within Dartford's Local Agenda 21 (QED: Quality Environment for Dartford). This has worked with the QED Health Group to promote horticultural therapy on allotments sites, the QED Waste Management Group to obtain commercially non-recyclable pallets for building sheds and compost bins, and the QED Bio-diversity Group to promote organic gardening - on and off the allotments. QED's 'Virtual Potting Shed' is a scheme to share experiences of LA21 with other allotment groups across the internet, while information on events and opportunities is disseminated locally through the QED Allotments Newsletter. Sites participating in the QED Allotments Group have attracted new tenants and earned positive reviews in the local and national gardening press. Details of the QED website are included in the list of useful contacts at the end of this paper.

Leisure policies - Many local authorities prepare leisure plans setting out long-term objectives for the sports and leisure services they provide or commission. It is important that, where Leisure Plans are produced, they proactively tackle the promotion and provision of allotments as an integral part of their objectives, regardless of whether they are managed from within Leisure Services departments. Indeed, the production of a leisure plan offers an opportunity to discuss the merits of moving allotments provision and management into the area of leisure services provision (from wherever they may be), since allotment gardening is clearly a leisure activity, and meets leisure objectives of using recreational activity to improve health and promote community development.

It is important that those responsible for the management of allotment sites possess the skills necessary to build close partnership links with allotment holders and local community groups, in order to deliver community development benefits. For although ensuring tenants adhere to leases is important, to act as a landlord concerned only or primarily with compliance with terms of tenancies, undermines the potential that allotments have in the wider context developed in this paper.

In Bromley, the Council has sought to improve the level of information and knowledge about the valuable activities taking place on allotments so that other parts of the council can take this into account in pursuing their policies.

As part of its management regime, the Leisure and community services department carries out a comprehensive annual survey of all sites under delegated management, covering geophysical conditions, site committee structure and provision for succession, membership (sites actually let against those available), site business plans, problems, successes, wildlife, ecology, educational advancement and, most importantly, advertising and promotion of individual sites.

The survey assists in setting targets and identifying potential problems early and the resources (not always financial) needed to remedy them. Thus, the site business plans, and the strong ethos of partnership between the Allotments and Leisure Gardens Federation and the Council, help to resist pressure from outside forces to redevelop land for other uses, and actively promote allotments for more positive uses in the future.

Planning policy and the need for better information - Planning policies protect important open spaces from development. The strength of protection reflects values such as the intrinsic openness of space in otherwise built-up areas. Added value by virtue of the activity taking place on open land (particularly where open land is a scarce resource) can increase the level of protection. Allotments are just such an activity. Land for allotment gardening is scarce, yet the activity is important. Planning policies have come in for some perhaps unjust criticism when allotments are lost. Planning decisions rely on strong evidence to support them in a legal process. If the weight of evidence is not strong enough, then the decision can be overturned and in some cases the costs of the process can be charged to local authorities. Allotments have suffered the problem of lacking adequate supporting evidence which can justify the retention of sites against appeal.

In this context, information about allotments is very patchy. Most arguments in support of the retention of allotments rely on hidden or latent demand as a variable, which is very hard to prove. Most arguments in favour of their development for other uses rely on the high levels of vacancies that exist, but rarely examine the reasons why. Planning decisions on allotments are thus to a large extent a reflection of the level of commitment to them, translated into useful evidence, by all parties concerned.

For any land use, if a local authority itself is not proactively seeking to retain sites it owns in their current use, or if it wishes to see land in other ownership developed, then it usually falls to the users and the wider community to take up the case during plan consultations and on particular planning decisions. If the land is of intrinsic strategic value (for whatever reasons) then other bodies may become involved. With allotments however, until recently, the users have not been sufficiently able to articulate the importance of their activity or to influence local authorities in ways which materially affect planning decisions. Strategic bodies also have failed to see the strategic nature of a cumulative loss of allotments and have not intervened. Development of allotments for other uses has gathered pace.

Planning policies must therefore address allotments more effectively than they currently do on two levels:

• Their intrinsic importance as valuable open spaces and community resources.
• Their wider contribution to sustainable development and community development objectives contained in land use plans.

To achieve this, local authorities need to keep better information on the demand for, and supply of, allotments, establish better liaison between planning departments and their colleagues who manage allotments services, prepare more proactive allotments strategies to demonstrate commitment to allotments, and include indicators on allotments provision in state of the environment and other environmental audit reports.

At national level, Government needs to set out planning policy guidance which is supportive of allotments and which clearly indicates the level of information and the factors to be taken into consideration in making planning decisions about development proposals affecting allotment sites.

Healthy living - There is strong evidence to support the role of allotment gardening as a stress-reliever and good source of cardio-vascular exercise. Community-based projects around the country illustrate the potential for multi-faceted benefits to be gained from recreational activity centred around community gardening and food growing. The produce from allotments can help facilitate at low cost a much healthier diet for those in local communities who may have poor access to good quality food at prices they can afford. The potential to create community co-operation around gardening and food-growing should not be underestimated. Nor should the value of allotments for providing a refuge of peace, quiet and the feeling of cleaner air.

The Public Health White Paper makes clear how projects such as establishing allotments and community gardens can engage communities, improve the local environment and provide fresh produce locally. Local health authorities, community health councils, the health education authority and local community groups need to explore how they can work together to promote local food growing initiatives with support from other organisations, including the Countryside Agency and the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers. Health Improvement Plans to be prepared by local authorities may offer an opportunity to promote the benefits of allotment and community gardening, highlighting the exercise it gives and the high quality food it can provide. Local NHS Trusts should consider how they can encourage GP referral to physical activity based around allotment and community allotment gardening.

Sustainable food production - There is both a policy and a practical context for the promotion of allotment gardening as a supplier of fresh, sustainable food. In the context of promoting a reduced need to travel, providing local sources of high quality food is very important in reducing 'food miles' and in reducing the distance that some in local communities have to travel in order to obtain good quality food where access to food stores is poor. In some circumstances, fresh produce is foregone in favour of more easily available and cheap processed food. This can have serious impacts on the quality of diet among some people and lead to higher instances of coronary diseases and other health problems. This is particularly evident on housing estates in some inner city areas of our towns and cities.

Connections between allotment and community gardening therefore need to be made with both the transport planning agenda and the increasingly important Community Planning/Local Agenda 21 agenda in relation to developing local community-led sustainable development initiatives.

Community development and Education - Local Education Authorities, individual schools and local allotment societies need to come together, perhaps through the Local Agenda 21 process, to develop joint initiatives aimed at increasing the knowledge of young people about the food they eat, how it is grown and the benefits of fresh food. This process can also foster contact in a community development context between generations, and enable allotment and community gardeners to pass on their knowledge to younger generations.

Through their community development work, Local authorities need to ensure that allotments and community gardens fulfil their potential by imaginatively utilising the resources, skills and commitment of local allotment associations to create wider benefits for local people and to lever in more resources from new funding sources such as the New Opportunities Fund Green Spaces programme.