London allotments are still reducing in number whilst the demand for
them is exploding.
This is one of the major findings of a research paper into allotments in
London by Imperial College, London’s Centre for Environmental Policy (Fletcher,
Collins) and published in the ‘Urban Forestry and Urban Greening’,
journal published by Elsevier. The paper highlights some interesting
findings about the continued decline in the number of plots, the associated
land occupied by allotments in London and the increase in demand and value of
allotments.
Since the GLA report in 2006, demand for allotments has increased
four-fold and this excludes the current further increase within the Covid
pandemic. Based on the information from some 55% of London’s sites the paper
estimates that the provision of allotments would need to increase by 77% to
address current waiting lists. In 2006 the GLA report identified a waiting list
across London of 4,300; today’s findings are that it has increased to 17,424.
This is not uniform across London, with the average wait being some 4 – 5
years. However, there is a significant variation by borough and even sites
within a borough. This must be viewed against the fact that the true latent
demand is somewhat hidden with some 16.3% sites having closed their waiting
lists. A survey by Brent asked all their 570 applicants on the waiting list to
confirm they wished to be retained on the waiting list and only 268 or 50% did.
However, this doesn’t take into account waiting time and its associated
frustration and probable lack of communication since joining the waiting list.
This is also currently compounded by the survey being performed in 2019 and
prior to the current explosion of demand during the 2020 Covid pandemic and
continued rise in applications today. From our own experience our waiting list
has risen from some 160 in February 2020 to 270 plus today for a site of 100
plots.
It is also relevant to note the points made in the Thorpe report re
people applying for plots in multiple sites and the report again raises the
lack of centralised city wide planning , duplication of effort and poor communication
between sites, sites and boroughs and boroughs. This lack of communication is
viewed as exacerbating plot availability and waiting list lengths.
Interestingly, the Imperial report found that the rate of closure
between 2006 and 2012 was 3.2% but over the last seven years there had been a
net loss of 41 sites (5.73%) which would imply that the rate of closures increased
in the more recent window. It states that five boroughs however had increased
their site numbers; Harringay, Islington, Lewisham, Hounslow and Westminster.
The research only reviewed allotments on Local Authority land and
identified some 682 sites which is below the overall numbers generally accepted
in London which is around 750. The research received detailed responses from
some 399 sites (58.5%) which totalled 24,883 plots and an area of 895 hectares.
The inner London boroughs had some 16% of sites but only 7.9% of the land area.
The boroughs with the highest numbers of sites were found to be, Bromley(51),
Barnet (44), Ealing (44) whilst the boroughs with the highest number of
allotments per head were per capita; Sutton, Bromley and Bexley. The report
looks at the acreage covered by allotments but doesn’t identify the growing
trend towards splitting plots and creating a two-tiered plot size environment.
Using the measure of area of allotments per head the highest scoring good boroughs
are Barnet, Enfield and Bromley, whilst the lowest are Westminster, Lambeth and Hackney, with no
sites in the City of London and Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
They calculated that based on the Brent council published estimates
(2018) that 21% of allotment land is given over to infrastructure and by
applying the scaling factor across London results in some 188 hectares are
infrastructure, leaving 707 hectares as active growing space.
It also found that 52.8% of sites are managed by the authorities and
47.2% are classed as self-managed.
London like most major cities has and continues to experience a
population increase, (some 10% from 8.11 million in 2012 to 9.11 million at the
time of this report). This obviously increases demand on; housing, land, local
authority budgets and spending resulting in allotment land often viewed by some
as prime site for housing development and a quick cash option for local
authorities. This is not unique to London or England. There is a stark
difference between inner and outer London Boroughs with the latter free of the
statutory requirement to provide allotments where there is demand.
The report found that allotments are an invaluable part of the urban
environment, promising many ecological, social and health benefits beyond their
primary function as food growing areas. It surveyed some 317 individuals about
the benefits associated with allotments with them ranking the benefits between
0 and 9. The results in descending order were:
1. Relaxation
2. Mental health
3. Recreation
4. Food production
5. Physical health
6. Lower environmental Impact
7. Improving the local environment
8. Learning new skills
9. Socialising
10. Saving money
It would be interesting to see what these would be post
Covid.
We await the second report on Demographics and congratulate Imperial
College on the report and effort expended and some great supporting maps.
