There has been a surge of interest in recent years from people getting together to set up community gardens and grow produce – but many have been put off by confusion over the laws governing allotment sites. A concise new Factsheet from the Federation of Community Farms and City Gardens (FCFCG) aims to help current and prospective growers to make sense of the rules.
Allotments are governed by special laws, which are old and can seem arcane -- for example the standard size of an allotment plot is expressed in poles (40), which equates to 1/4 of an acre. The rules also vary across the UK (the Factsheet mainly applies to England and Wales).
The Factsheet is aimed at anyone thinking of setting up a new allotment or community garden site, or is concerned about how allotment law could affect their site. Landowners wanting to put land into productive use by creating private allotments or giving their land over to a community gardening group will find it useful too.
The Factsheet has been co-written with the Community Land Advisory Service, and approved by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
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