BASE HEADER

I object to taking allotment land for housing development. These allotments are a valued community amenity for which there is always a waiting list. They are cultivated by people of all ages and several national origins. They offer people of varied means the opportunity to grow their own food and teach their children to do the same. They promote a culture of sharing.

A few years ago this site was deemed unsuitable for a housing development. Why has this changed?

The allotments have been in use for over 50 years during which the soil has been improved by successive tenants. There are many old fruit trees, notably plums of a local variety.

Even if an alternative site were provided (do we have any guarantee of that?) it would mean that allotment tenants would have to start again from scratch. Would an alternative site be protected from development?

The allotments also attract wildlife of many types: birds, mammals, insects.

Rugby Road is busy: exiting a new housing development to get on to it would pose problems: allotment holders frequently have to wait for traffic and it is rare that several leave at the same time.