Transcript
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