Waiting List For Garden Space In One London Borough Hits 40 Years - Guardian

[hatrack]

Demand for allotments has reached such heights that in one London borough would-be gardeners will be waiting 40 years for a patch of land, it emerged today. Latest research commissioned by home insurer LV= (formerly Liverpool Victoria) also revealed that for every UK allotment plot there are 30 people waiting to get their hands on one – providing evidence of our recession-fuelled enthusiasm for homegrown produce and the desire of many city dwellers to embrace "the good life" by getting back to the land.

Applicants are typically looking at an average wait of three years, although in some areas it will probably be decades before these green-fingered hopefuls are finally able to harvest the fruits (and vegetables) of their labour.

The research named the London boroughs of Camden and Islington as areas where plot availability is particularly problematic, with waiting times estimated at up to 40 and 25 years respectively, suggesting that a Camden resident who registers for a plot after finishing university might just get to access to it by the time they retire. A spokeswoman for Camden council said: "We can confirm that Camden has a waiting list of about 40 years for a council allotment. This is because we have got 195 allotment plots in Camden but more than 800 people waiting."

She added: "Allotment gardening is a growing passion for many people in the borough. We are encouraging people on the waiting list to contact neighbouring authorities such as Barnet and Brent who have a greater number of plots." The survey of more than 300 local authorities found demand for allotments had seen a "massive resurgence," with almost 6 million people wanting to rent one but only 206,000 plots across the UK.

EDIT

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2009/jun/02/allotments-shortage-waiting-lists