Allotments Guidelines

ALLOTMENTS GUIDELINES

Adopted January 2020
Reviewed January 2022

These guidelines have been prepared in a basis of goodwill and respect between the Parish Council and allotment holders but also to ensure that the same exists between each and all other allotment holders during their tenancies.  The PC reserve the right to change these conditions from time to time without notice subject only to ratification in a normal Parish Council meeting.

Purpose of an Allotment: – a plot which is “wholly or mainly cultivated by the occupier for the production of vegetable or fruit crops for consumption by himself or his family”.  Shrub and Flower planting in a majority is not considered as proper use of the plot.

1. Tenancies for a plot or half plot will run from 1st January to 31st December annually.
2. Rents will be collected annually and must be paid by 1^st January [water rates may be charged as a variable extra].
3. Rents/rates will be reviewed annually, and any increases advised no later than 1st September each year.
4. Rent will not be payable for any half plots issued after 1^st September for the remainder of the year.
5. Access to plots and boundaries must be kept clear and clean at all times. You are responsible for the access to your plot and the boundaries to it.
6. A path of no less than 46 cm [18”] width is to be maintained between plots.
7. No fencing is to be erected on or around plots before the tenant has requested permission from the Parish Council, in writing and received written permission from the Parish Council.
8. No buildings or cages of any type are to be erected on plots before the tenant has requested permission from the Parish Council, in writing and received written permission from the Parish Council. At the end of the tenancy, any buildings or cages placed on a plot must be removed at the tenant’s expense.
9. No trees are to be planted on plots before the tenant has requested permission from the Parish Council, in writing and received written permission from the Parish Council.
10. No livestock of any kind are to be kept on plots at any time.
11. No poisons, fungicides, herbicides, noxious sprays or any similar materials are to be kept on plots at any time or containers so marked.
12. No poisons, fungicides, herbicides, or other sprays or similar noxious materials which cannot be purchased in retail shops by the general public are to be used on allotment plots at any time.
13. No nuisance is to be caused to other tenants or neighbouring properties. In particular, bonfires may only be lit with due consideration to nearby residents and other allotment tenants.  Only allotment “waste” is to be burned or composted on allotment plots unless prior permission is given by the Parish Council.
14. Bozeat Parish Council reserves the right not to renew any tenancy.
15. Hose pipes may not be used from the water supply provided by the Parish Council.
16. Every allotment garden shall be cultivated and maintained to an acceptable standard at all times during the tenancy. Allotments not cultivated to an acceptable standard within 30 days of receipt of a letter from allotments manager requesting them to comply will forfeit their tenancy, unless the Parish Council is notified of any special circumstances for non-cultivation.  Subject to twice yearly inspections in May and September.
17. Any tenant taking on a previously vacated plot must pay rent for the first year, but rent for the second year may, at the discretion of the Parish Council, be waived should the plot be satisfactorily cultivated. Tenants must apply for this waiver to the Allotment Manager before the end of that first year.
18. A waiting list will be maintained and plots issued giving priority to new tenants strictly on a first-come basis. It is only possible to register on the waiting list for a single or half plot.  Requests may be made for specific plots, but offer no guarantee of being successful as priority will always be given to the person waiting for a plot the longest.  Consideration will be given to dividing any vacant plot.  If more than 2 offers are declined, that person will be placed on the bottom of the waiting list. An annual review of the waiting list will be undertaken.  Anyone not confirming they wish to stay on the list at the annual meeting will be removed from the list after 15 working days.
19. If no waiting list exists, vacant plots will be advertised on the Parish Council’s official notice board in the High Street or in the Bozeat Matters magazine.
20. No rubbish or soil to be placed on the central track at any time.
21. All allotments to be let by the Allotments Manager or Parish Council Representative only.
22. Plots may not be transferred, exchanged, or ceded without the consent of the Parish Council.
23. All full-size plots which become vacant will be issued as two half plots to two new tenants.
24. Inspections will be made around 1^st May and 1^st September each year and reports prepared. Tenants will be informed of any works required in order to meet these guidelines.
25. Tenants will not be permitted to rent multiple plots when there is a waiting list for plots.
26. There should be no general accumulations of rubbish or scrap on the plots.
27. Man-made fibrous materials of carpet, or similar (e.g., underlay) are not to be used [due to degradation of these materials which are not biodegradable]
28. If a plot is not under cultivation by the May inspection and the Council cannot satisfy itself that the tenant intends to cultivate the plot for that growing season, the Council reserves the right to terminate the tenancy and make the plot available to another tenant for that growing season.
29. When tenancies are terminated, either by the tenant or the council, the plot must be left in an acceptable state, and all equipment or produce removed within 1 month of the end of the tenancy. Vacated plots must be left clear and ready for a new tenant to use, any costs incurred in removing rubbish left on an allotment will be passed on to the former tenant who left it on the plot.
30. These guidelines shall be reviewed on an annual basis.