Once again a council wants to build over an allotment site. I’m sure many councils view allotments as just building land awaiting a project. They ignore the benefits allotments bring to towns because they’re not shiny new buildings with a plaque on the wall honouring the Mayor for cutting a ribbon. Cynical? Moi?
Plot on Mundford Road Allotments Thetford – you can see the plot holder loves it.
Mundford Road allotments in Thetford, Norfolk.
This time it’s Mundford Road allotments in Thetford, Norfolk. The 3.8 acre allotment site has been in use since the latter part of the 19th century. It has 138 plots, all occupied with a queue waiting to get any plots that come up.
Many plot holders have put decades of work into their allotments. Those plots are a major part of their life. The site isn’t just ‘old boys’ though, younger people now getting more involved they have a wide range of experience on site. Quite a few people keep poultry on their plots, what I’d call ‘proper allotmenting’
Plots on Mundford Road Allotments Thetford
If the council get their way then the plot holders will be re-located to make room for an £80 million development. Imagine you have land that’s been worked for a 150 years and you’ve spent 30 years further improving it. Then it’s off to some windswept field that probably takes twice as long to get to. You can see why they’re up in arms.
Plot 86, Mundford Road Allotments Thetford
Anyway, the allotment growers of Mundford Road could do with our help to persuade Thetford Council to put people over vanity projects. If you can spare a couple of minutes to sign their petition it will show strength of feeling to the councillors.
Allotment Plot in Winter
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hot spot
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Joni Mitchell, Big Yellow Taxi
Correct me if I’m wrong, but am I right when I say only two of the TTC Councillors voted against this? Also, in the Labour manifesto, it states that new allotments will be provided and goes on to talk about walking, exercise etc. Cynical? Vous? I think not. This little plot of very valuable land provides so much to so many not only in providing food, but exercise, contentment, thereby alleviating the day’s mental stress, fresh air, Vitamin D (sun) so good for the body, companionship and a sense of achievement. Do all these allotment holders have squatters rights? Just a thought. This is politics/greed/stupidity all tied up in one.
Your correct 2 did vote against it and I have brought up with my Labour councillors about the manifesto – we are prepared to fight for our plots and are grateful for any support or ideas anyone can come up with
Thank you all
I go past these allotments on the way to visit an old friend and they are well maintained, the plot holders obviously devoting a lot of their time to them & enjoying them. There is plenty of land around Mundford the council could use other than these allotments, it’s that they suffer from their convenient location rather than lack of land. Whatever land around them is developed they are concreting over agricultural land, as if we have plenty to spare. They are looking at more council tax income from this development & no more. Money speaks louder than anything these days & to hell with the consequences. I have signed their petition.
Unfortunately, after checking back on my petition-
signing post, the website has problems & nothing is showing on anything to do with this petition. Will check later.
Hi if 6 or more people go to the council there is a law that states the council must provide or allot land for growing – get loads of people to a0ply
Just tell these councillors no vote for you, back handers all the way…
If Mundford road allotments would be standing empty and not used, than idea of using the land for different purpose came as understandable. But allotments are being used and they have a waiting list of people who like myself would like to have one. Benefits of those allotments to people are massive. No money can buy positive benefits of physical and mental health or social aspects that allotment holders are getting from their little plots of land.