 |
| Russian dachas |
There is a significant increase in demand for allotments today and this is especially visible in urban sites where the scarcity of land is often forcing plots to be split. Is demand now outstripping supply and is this a temporary blip or a more lasting issue that needs to be addressed in a different way?
The allotment is not unique to the UK and they exist all over Europe, Russia and North America. How they are run can differ significantly between countries and many were first established in the 19th century to offer an escape for the poor from the industrial environment and associated squalor they were living in. They evolved alongside civic libraries and parks all aimed at enriching the quality of life for all. The plots of land were made available for individual, non-commercial gardening or growing of food.
Anna Lindhagen, a Swedish social-democratic leader, visited
allotment gardens in Copenhagen in the 19th century and wrote about
the benefits of allotment gardens:
‘For the family, the plot of land is a uniting bond, where all
family members can meet in shared work and leisure. The family father, tired
with the cramped space at home, may rejoice in taking care of his family in the
open air, and feel responsible if the little plot of earth bestows a very
special interest upon life.’
Since 1926 some three million European
allotment gardeners have been represented by the Luxembourg based ‘Office
International du Coin de Terre et des Jardins Familiaux’. They describe allotments as offering:
‘An improved quality of life, an enjoyable and
profitable hobby, relaxation, and contact with nature. For children, gardens
offer places to play and to learn about nature, while for the unemployed, they
offer a feeling of doing something useful as well as low-cost food. For the
elderly and disabled, gardens offer an opportunity to meet people, to share in
activity with like-minded people, and to experience activities like planting
and harvesting.’
 |
| Norwegian allotments |
Both quotes really some up the value allotments
can give their users and the community.
Many European allotments differ significantly
to the model adopted in the UK. Many became out of town retreats and allowed
for a temporary residence during the summer period. Russia developed Dachas which means something
given in the time of Peter the Great and some would suggest that some of these
retreats became elitist during the 20th century. Many Russian
villages now have dachniki as temporary residents. Some villages have been
fully transformed into dacha settlements, while some older dacha settlements
often look like more permanent lodgings. In North America allotments are
referred to as community gardens and can be quite small with starter plots
being only 1.5 mt square.
Allotments in the UK have often have swung in
and out of demand. As the population prospered and the quality of life rose
their popularity waned but in times of hardship and war and general recession
their popularity rose. In 1873 there were some 244,268 plots in the UK but by
1918 just after the First World War this had risen to 1,117,000.In the 1940s
there were 1,400,000 but by the late 60s this had shrunk to 600.000 and by 2009
shrunk further to 300,000. The Thorpe report in 1969 stated that the declines
was down to the country being, ’more affluent, decline in land, and the growth
in other leisure activities.’
There is always the question of latent demand
which is not consistent across all allotments and can vary significantly even within
a region and between urban and rural areas. In March 2008 The Guardian
published an article, ‘Coming up roses? Not any more as UK gardeners turn to vegetables.’
In the article they claimed in 2007, ‘Sales of vegetable seeds rose 7% last
year and Britain, with a population of more than 60.5 million people, may now
be growing as much at home as it did during the second world war’. It
went on to quote Geoff Stokes, the then Secretary of the National Society for
Allotments, ‘There are roughly 330,000 allotment holders in the UK but waiting
lists are growing fast,’ he said. ‘Demand has increased considerably in the
last few months alone. It seems there is a complete lifestyle change taking
place.
‘As many as 100,000 people are on allotment waiting lists,’
said Neil Dixon, the chairman of the National Allotments Trust. This figure is
not substantiated within the article. Attempts to establish the size of the
lists using FOI (Freedom of Information Requests) in London boroughs met with
mixed responses. ‘In Scotland and some towns in northern England, the waiting
list is nearly as long as the number of people holding allotments,’ Dixon claimed.
‘Almost every council is now under pressure to provide more. Many are now
trying to cut plots in half or less.’
Demand for a plot on our allotments has risen
sharply over the last couple of years. The current pandemic has seen this rise
again sharply to a point where we have over 200 waiting for one of our 100
plots and we currently have an annual turnover of less than 10%. It’s not hard
to do the maths.
Authorities have failed miserably to provide the
‘15 allotments for every 1,000 households’ recommended within the Thorpe
report. That was 50 years ago and times have changed, populations have changed,
and the demand for land and to provide commercial buildings and residential
housing continued unabated. It is pointless to quote the Thorpe report today as
it will fall on deaf ears. Today is more about civic and community planning, welfare
strategy, environmental planning and joining up those dots in local government
that some would suggest exist in different rooms.
Allotment demand will increase as residential
housing in urban areas continues to shift to garden-less skyscrapers and awareness
in ecological issues and climate change rises. Finding answers may not be about
providing more allotments but about developing growing and community strategies
which include allotments and even nutritional knowledge as part of the answer
and not the answer itself.
