The geography and characteristics of Plymouth allotments in the present day are explored in this section. As for domestic gardening, levels of allotment provision are variable throughout the city, and site locations are depicted in Figure 4.8.
Figure 4.8 Present-day allotment sites in Plymouth (Source: Plymouth Informed 2012 [http://plymouthinformed.zubed.com/])
As Figure 4.8 shows, there were 31 allotment sites in the city in 2012. Their existence largely results from historical land ownership patterns and not
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necessarily according to present-day need (FN101110). Their neighbourhood
locations, number of plots, and facilities are given in Table 4.5.
Table 4.5 Location, size and facilities on Plymouth allotment sites
(Source: www.plymouth.gov.uk a030511)
Neighbourhood Street location No of
plots Assn Hut
School
plot Community garden
Beacon Park Hermon Terrace 39
Compton Lower Compton 45 x
Efford Derwent Avenue 62 x x
Efford Pike Road 21
Elburton Dunstone Lane 20
Estover Blunts Lane 84 x x x
Ford Henderson Place 15
Honicknowle Chaucer Way 23
Hooe Hooe 35
Keyham Mays and Frys 46 x
Keyham Parkside 27 x
Laira Embankment Road 44 x x
Mannamead Seymour Road 63 x x
Milehouse Penlee Valley 74 x x
Milehouse Rowdens Reservoir 64 x
Mutley Swarthmore 138 x x x x
Oreston Oreston 19
Pennycross Fosters Field 21
Peverell Barn Park Road 55 x
Peverell Central Park 119 x x x x
Peverell Peverell Park Road 52 x
Plympton Ditch Gardens 9
Plympton Lucas Lane 21
Plympton Newnham Park 55 x
Plympton Stoggy Lane 29 x x
Southway Southway Drive 50 x x x
Southway Southway Lane 39 x
St Budeaux Eliot St 13
West Park West Park Terrace 28 x x
Weston Mill Bridwell Road 20
Whitleigh Kendal Place 25
Total number of
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As Table 4.5 shows, the 31 sites are located across 22 of the 43 city
neighbourhoods. Fourteen sites have allotment associations, nine have trading huts and eight contain school and community projects (see Chapter 8). Given this total number of plots, and the population of Plymouth (256,400) there is roughly one plot per 190 individuals, or one per 80 households (average size 2.35 people). As a comparison, a household size of 3.05 would result in equivalence to the national average found by DETR (1998), of 1 allotment per 65 households. Further detail on geographical location of a selection of these sites is given in Box 4.2 below for illustration.
Box 4.2 Profiles of allotment sites in Plymouth visited for the purpose of this research
(Source: images from Google Earth )
Figure 4.9(a) Swarthmore
Land bought by the Quakers for the purposes of allotments at the south of Central Park, and the site that most people know as seen from the railway station. Site expanded during the war under DORA, with potato patch dug by Prisoners of War. Site under pressure from development, with proposals for housing, although promised replacement plots. The trading hut (situated on the corner that would be taken for development) was burnt in an arson attack a few years ago. Periodic summer raiding and vandalism.
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Figure 4.9(b) Central Park
The second largest allotment site in the city. Allocated during WW2 from part of Central Park. Periodic pilfering, raiding and vandalism. Attempts by plotholders to reinforce boundaries with hawthorn and brambles partially successful. LDF plans would have meant an edge shaved off, loss of plots and led to a campaign that galvanised the site’s allotment association.
Figure 4.9(c) Embankment Road
Embankment Road. Site of old fertilizer factory. Contaminated top soil removed, high secure fencing and location of one of most active community garden projects in Plymouth (East End Community Allotments).
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Figure 4.9(d) Penlee Valley
Site with the largest community garden project, Diggin’ It, funded by the lottery and managed by a parent organisation that also runs a project, Dig for Devonport, in Devonport Park, just further to the south-east of the city.
Figure 4.9(e) Seymour Road
Situated in Compton, an area that contains both highest and lowest density housing adjacent to each other. Site is well overlooked by housing, and no reported pilfering or vandalism.
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Figure 4.9f Southway Drive
This site on the northern edge of the city with an active allotment association and a chicken-co-op where tenants share responsibilities. Described by one tenant as the best allotment site in Plymouth.
Figure 4.9g Mays and Frys
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Figure 4.9(h) Eliot St
In St Budeaux, a low-income neighbourhood but surrounded by housing with fair size gardens.
The maps in Box 4.2 show that the nature of neighbouring buildings varies considerably, as does the accessibility and desirability of location. For example, Eliot Street is in an area of housing with fair sized gardens but high on the IMD, as is May and Frys which is also near the sewage works which affects the quality of air on the site periodically (see Chapter 7).
Allotment management has been the remit of the Parks Departments within Plymouth City Council since the end of World War 2. During the time of this research, the team of one full time Allotment Officer (AO) and one full-time site maintenance worker was added to with a new post of full-time
administrative assistant. Additional input for site maintenance is also given by others in the Parks Department for specific tasks, such as felling trees, or laying hardcore for car tracks.
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As recommended by DETR (1998), most local authorities promote allotments, and the page on Plymouth’s website is shown in Figure 4.10.
Figure 4.10 Plymouth City Council website page for allotments
(Source: http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/homepage/leisureandtourism/parksnatureandgreenspaces/allotments.htm l.a.230512,
with permission from Plymouth City Council)
Figure 4.10 illustrates how allotments in Plymouth are promoted on the basis of food, fresh air, learning, social opportunities and wildlife, although the potential contribution to household economies is not suggested. The page has links to the
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request form, to contact information for each site and to other organisations (BBC Springwatch, BTCV, Groundwork, Natural England, RHS Britain in Bloom, and The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)). However, there are no links to other allotment societies locally, regionally or nationally, or
allotment blogs. This analysis suggests that PCC supports the Thorpe Report’s suggestion (MLNR 1969) to promote leisure aspects of allotment holding.
The locations and management of allotments all have some impact on the levels and characteristics of use, discussed in Chapters 6 and 7. The demographies of some of the allotment tenants are introduced next.