A recent study followed a group of 20 participants over the age of 65 who were given a choice of gardening individually or communally and the majority chose the latter option, preferring the greater opportunity for social interaction and possibility of help from others. Gatrell, A. The way forward Top landowners and temporary leasing We believe that is unfair that while some individuals own hundreds of thousands of acres, others are unable to rent a small allotment plot.
Hampshire, Cheshire, and Kent are three of the counties with the longest allotment waiting lists for which data is available. In Cheshire, the figures are lower but still striking, with 8. Meanwhile large chunks of the population in all three counties own no land at all — as much as Data for large landholdings in these counties were not available. For Hampshire, Cheshire, and Kent, our data likely underestimate the actual waiting lists, as there is missing data for councils in these counties.
In Hampshire, 11 out of 13 councils reported data; in Cheshire, 7 out of 8 councils reported data; and in Kent, 9 out of 13 councils reported data. The way forward In these counties, large swaths of land are held by an elite group of wealthy aristocratic landowners. In Hampshire for example, the 8th Duke of Wellington owns 7, acres, and the 6th Earl of Normanton owns 6, acres. In Cheshire, the 6th Duke of Westminster owns 15, acres, while the 3rd Viscount of Leverhulme owns another 10, In Kent, the 8th Marquess of Conyngham owns 5, acres, while institutional landowners like the Church of England and the Crown Estate each hold more than 10, acres.
Not all of the large landholdings will be suitable for allotments, either because of where it is located or the nature of its usage. In particular, much of the land held by large institutional landowners such as the Forestry Commission, the Ministry of Defence, and the utility companies may be considered inappropriate. However, much of the individual holdings, as well as those held by the Church of England and the Crown Estate, are likely to have areas that may be suitable for allotments. Today, there are powerful arguments to say that a small proportion of the holdings of the wealthiest landowners could be 53 Cahill, Kevin , Who owns Britain, London: Canongate Books.
Note that the land data for the 8th Marquess of Conyngham in Kent is based the land ownership of his father the 7th Marquess of Conyngham, who he succeeded in The way forward made available for local residents on a medium term basis, perhaps for 10 year community leasehold periods.
We would hope that these large landowners could find a voluntary way of making land available, especially small potential allotments within areas with long waiting lists. However, we also believe that the Government should reserve the option of establishing a Large Private Estates Commission to map the private land of individual land owners in areas of high community need.
Local authorities would then be able to assess the suitability of this mapped land for, amongst other things, allotment and community garden sites. Where appropriate, these local authorities, supported by the Large Private Estate Commission, should be empowered through statutory legislation to temporarily transfer plots of that land on the basis of a medium term lease for community usage.
If necessary the Commission ensure that any landowner grievances are fairly considered and make a judgement about potential reimbursement for community use. There appears to be support for the power to transfer plots of land from landowners to the community for allotments on a temporary basis.
The way forward and managed 96, hectares of agricultural land in This land is let to tenants. To cope with ongoing budget pressures, many councils are now attempting to speed up the process of disposing of this farmland. This conversion can be done automatically under Section of the Town and Country Planning Act of Understanding this complex legislation can be a challenge for local authorities and some are unaware of these existing powers. The Government should aim to introduce the resulting Bill within the lifetime of this Parliament.
The way forward A number of councils have recently called for revision of allotment legislation under the Sustainable Communities Act. The Queen recently dedicated some of the Buckingham Palace Garden into an allotment to grow produce for the palace kitchen and Sarah Brown has begun to grow vegetables in the Downing Street garden.
Research also suggests that just 30 minutes gardening can burn as many calories as aerobic exercise and that those who grow their own food are more likely to eat more fruit and vegetables. Our reforms would see much more unused and unfunctional brownfield land developed into a much more picturesque landscape of working allotments.
The Royal Family should also be encouraged to share some of their vast , acres to allow more people to enjoy gardening and farming. However they are still as relevant today as then and can be an excellent way of bringing together local communities and producing fantastic food. Seeing that the Secretary of State for the Environment, Hillary Benn, has called for a new policy of food growing in this country this call for the release of land for use as allotments is something that government should heed if it does not just give lip service.
Green Living Review. Can you Dig it? Meeting Community Demand for Allotments. Newer Post Older Post Home. Women were initially asked to volunteer to serve in the Land Army, but from December could also be conscripted.
At its peak in , there were more than 80, women in the WLA. They worked on farms, in dairies, as ratcatchers, as foresters and also drained land to bring it into food production. Land reallocation was successfully localised during both wars, leaving councils to carry out their own organisation. This increased to 1, by Alongside this, a scheme of voluntary rationing was promoted on 1 February , with the aim of reducing the consumption of food in short supply, and to show how to avoid waste when cooking.
Teachers in elementary schools took up the challenge and cookery centres were established in Preston. The allowance under this scheme was based on three staples of the daily diet — bread, meat, and sugar.
A food control office was then set up to fix the price of milk and butter. Shortages continued and although wealthier people could still afford food, malnutrition was seen in poor communities.
To try to make things fairer, the government introduced rationing in Cartoon characters Captain Carrot and Potato Pete led the campaign with their own songs and recipe books.
According to the Royal Horticultural Society there were nearly 1. The government estimated that around 6, pigs were kept in gardens and backyards by In Scotland, 54, children in school helped to plant the potato harvest, even having time off school.
Good food. Safe water. Enough money. Efficient travel. Secure rights. Clean energy. Better homes. Liveable cities. Natural advantage. Decent work. Story of change. Growing our way out of crisis: how to dig for victory Posted on 16 May Temporary leases from landowners could serve the entire ,strong waiting list of people wanting a vegetable patch, according to the New Local Government Network thinktank.
Combined with similar action on brownfield sites, including development land temporarily stalled by hard times, such a scheme would give food production and public health a boost, the group says.
It describes the idea as "not quite the Peasants' Revolt but a real step forward to promoting farming and opening up the countryside". The report, Can You Dig It?
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