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NEW TENANCY AGREEMENTS FOR NEWCASTLE ALLOTMENTS

As tenancy agreements for Newcastle’s allotment sites are renewed this year, it seems an excellent time to take stock of where we are now and where we are going. The leases, which contain a number of new or revised provisions, are effective as of now and will be renewable every three years.

In recent times there has been a gratifying resurgence of interest in, and enthusiasm for allotment gardening in the city, with many sites holding waiting lists for the first time in years. This alone has helped to drive up standards of cultivation and site maintenance, and one of the aims of the tenancy agreement is to help sustain that trend with the active support of all plot-holders.

We are especially keen to see some of our more run-down sites making an effort to improve their environmental impact, and they may rest assured they will have our encouragement and support in that effort.

Two new clauses in the agreement confirm the total ban on fires from May 1 to September 30 in any year, and also prohibit the siting of caravans – of any sort – on allotments.

At the same time some provisions continued from the old tenancy agreements are not universally observed, so it’s worth having another look at them.

Every allotment association, for instance, is required to elect a fully working management committee, yet we know that a few still persist with one-man-band secretaries who are left to run the site single-handed without any support. This is neither fair nor democratic.

Committees must be made up of no fewer than three people, including a secretary, and they are responsible to the City Council for the conduct of their associations’ affairs. Names and addresses of the committee members must be supplied to the Council and updated as membership changes.

There is also a ban on keeping cockerels, ducks, geese and horses – or any other animals unless they are permitted under the Allotments Acts, and even then the permission of the General Manager of Leisure Services must be obtained. Pigeons may be kept only with the written consent of the Council. Dogs may be brought onto allotments only if they are kept on a lead, owners must clear up any mess they leave, and no dogs are to be left on a site overnight.

On the question of cultivation, plot-holders are expected to keep their allotments “clean, free of weeds and in a good state of cultivation and fertility and in good condition….”

Associations with waiting lists should let vacant plots strictly in the order of date on which applications were received – that is, from the top of the waiting list; no queue-jumping.

Associations are responsible for fixing and collecting rents from their members, but if they intend to charge more than £40 a year for a full plot (250 square metres) they must first obtain the consent of the Council.

“The terms of the tenancy agreements are largely common sense, a question of good management and showing consideration for people living nearby,” says Ivan Foster, chairman of Newcastle Allotments Working Group.

“Most people are becoming much more conscious of the environment, the need to look after our green spaces and to preserve our wildlife; and now seems a good time for allotment gardeners in Newcastle to play a leading role in their own communities.

“Each association’s management committee will hold a copy of the agreement and will make it, together with the site rules, available for inspection by any plot-holder.”

The Allotments Working Group are working hard with a few volunteers to promote and raise the profile of Allotment Gardening and Gardening in general across the city.

the publicity group aims:

• to build upon this site to create a valuable resource for all.
• to encourage an exchange of ideas about allotment gardening.
• to focus help where it is needed - which means active support for smaller sites.
• to give regular press releases to promote our sites.
• to produce posters, leaflets and other material to encourage others to take part

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