The Site
Security
- Do not share the lock combinations with non-members.
- After entering the site, please close the gate to prevent unauthorised entry.
- Members’ tools and equipment should be kept in sheds at the owners’ risk. We recommend that sheds are locked.
Health and Safety
It is every member’s responsibility to work safely on the allotments and observe our H&S policy and Risk Assessment. We will carry out an H&S inspection from time to time and any hazards will be reported to the member concerned who must remove or mitigate the hazard immediately they are made aware.
All children on site must always be supervised.
Please report any accidents to the secretary.
Driving on Site
Drive on site only when absolutely necessary – to drop off and collect heavy items, visitors with disabilities etc. The pathways are only turf and we need to ensure that they do not deteriorate to a point where they cannot be driven on. There is car parking next to our sites, please use it. Do not drive on site when the land is wet as this causes damage to the pathways.
Please drive slowly, keep a careful eye out for members who may not hear you approaching and drive by members only when they have seen and acknowledged you.
Dogs
Members’ dogs are allowed on site provided they are well behaved and kept on a leash. Any member who allows his dog to wander over the allotment plots or does not pick up any dog fouling will be dismissed from the Association.
Mowing
All allotment holders are responsible for mowing the grass around their plot. We also ask that you mow some common parts from time to time. Mowers must not be used on allotment plots.
Each site has mowers and a strimmer kept in the communal sheds, but these may only be used by authorised members. If you are not authorised and wish to use the equipment, contact a committee member to arrange training.
On the main site there is key safe on the left-hand side of the shed containing the key to the shed’s padlock. Please return the key to the safe after use and clear the combination. On the Walford Road site the shed has a combination padlock – please scramble after closing.
After use, let the mower cool down, empty the grass box and clean the mower, by turning it on its side to gain access to the underside, making sure the air filter is upper most to prevent petrol running into the filter which will make the mower difficult to start. Use a sharp stick or similar tool to scrape all grass and dirt adhering to the mower placing the detritus in the compost bins by the shed.
If you have damaged the mower in any way or find a problem, please report it to the secretary or using the white board in the shed.
Petrol for use in the mowers is contained in green plastic cans; on the main site these are in the brick petrol store. The key to the fuel store is inside the communal shed next to the door. If the cans are empty, please take them to a garage and purchase “super unleaded” petrol (E5); do not buy the standard E10 fuel. The treasurer will reimburse the cost from Association funds on production of a receipt.
Working your allotment
The whole allotment should be kept clean, in a good state of cultivation and fertility, in a tidy condition and free from all noxious weeds. No weeds should be allowed to seed.
Boundary land on the main site should not be cultivated or used for storage and does not form part of your allotment. Do not obstruct the paths – it is dangerous and makes it difficult to mow. The plots on the northern edge of the main site bordering Wood Edge (plots 29 to 42) should not obstruct the wooden fence and must ensure that access is possible for maintenance.
The following are allowed and must be sited on your plot and not the paths.
- Sheds, polytunnels and greenhouses – see below.
- Compost bins and water butts.
- Fruit trees – see below.
- Bird and bug boxes – on fences or on your own plot.
- The following are not allowed:
- Keeping of livestock including bees.
- Trees other than fruit trees.
- Underletting, or assigning part of your allotment without the written consent of the Association.
- Fires.
Sheds, Greenhouses and Polytunnels
These may be erected within the bounds of your plot provided they do not exceed the following areas:
- Sheds – 2¼ m², eg 1.8×1.2 m (6×4 ft).
Greenhouses – 8¾ m², eg 3.6×2.4 m (12×8 ft).
Polytunnels – 18 m², eg 6×3 m (20×10 ft). - The total of all structures should not exceed more than 25% of the total plot area.
Care should be taken such that you do not shade, or adversely affect a neighbouring plot. Although permission will normally be granted, please discuss your plans with the secretary before erecting any of these structures.
Trees
Ornamental and woodland tress are not permitted. Fruit trees may be planted on your plot provided they are on dwarf rootstock and do not adversely affect a neighbouring plot and are contained within the bounds of your plot when fully grown. Do be aware that young trees grow quickly and can make parts of your plot difficult to use. Although permission will normally be granted, please discuss your plans with the secretary before planting trees.
Watering
We are on a water meter and pay for use. Hosepipe watering is strictly prohibited. You may fill a water butt to feed a trickle irrigation system.
If you have a water butt on your allotment, you must make sure it has a cover to prevent evaporation or children or animals falling in.
Temporary Weed Suppressant
The covering of plots with Black Polythene is prohibited but old carpet or weed matting may be used. The use of such material must not be used to control weeds as an alternative to cultivation of the allotment plot.
Rubbish and Waste
Please ensure that any rubbish or waste from your plot is removed from the site. Do not leave it on the paths, in the hedges, in communal areas or by the gate for someone else to clear.
Ponds
Ponds are allowed but they must be made safe either with a 1m high boundary fence (which in most cases is impractical) or with a grid fixed in place to prevent access; steel reinforcing building grid is ideal.
Annual Rent
The plot rent is due on 1st October and invoices will be issued in September. All rents must be paid by the 1st November and any member failing to do so will be deemed to have resigned from the Association and the plot will be re-let.
Any member who provides a valid excuse for not paying by the 1st November will be charged a late fee of £25 in addition to the outstanding rent.
Termination of Membership
Any member no longer wishing to work their allotment should advise the secretary so that the plot may be re-let. Membership may be terminated by the committee for:
- Failure to pay the annual rent.
- Failure to comply with these rules or the tenancy agreement.
Any shed, tools, unharvested produce etc left on the plot must be removed within 7 days of the termination otherwise it will be forfeit and sold or removed by the Association. Any money arising will be paid into our funds.
Vacant Plots
Plots will periodically become vacant and the normal process is for a plot to be offered to the first person on the waiting list and not to existing members. Plots will only be offered to existing members if there is no waiting list.
It is recognised that occasionally a member may want a larger, or smaller, plot. In such cases the secretary should be advised and these requests will be added to the waiting list; we will try to accommodate this, possibly by swapping with another member or, by taking on a vacant plot but relinquishing the existing one.
Working Together
We encourage all members to share and on the main site we have a shelf under the notice board where you can leave produce, plants, seeds etc. Please leave anything that you do not want that you think others will use, and if you see something you want, help yourself. If items that you leave are not taken, please remove them after a few days.
Do not take produce or enter anyone else’s allotment without the holder’s permission. Please always be courteous and respectful towards all members of the Association.
All queries, complaints or suggestions for improvements should be given to any of the Committee Members.
If any member fails to respond to the reasonable directions of Committee Members, particularly if a rule infringement is indicated, either verbally or in writing, then after a period of 28 days it will be deemed that the member has resigned from the Association and the Committee will let the plot in the usual way.
Help Us
From time to time it is necessary to carry out maintenance work on the allotments such as painting the communal sheds, repairing fencing, pruning overhanging branches, clearing the verges around the communal roadways etc. Members should whenever possible join one of the various work gangs set up to do the work. Details will be circulated to members and placed on the notice board.
If you want to get more involved, consider joining the committee. If you have any skills that you think may be of use to the Association, please let us know.
Contact Details
Our main means of communications is by email and all members are urged to provide an email address. The few members not using email will be contacted by phone or post if messages are urgent and important notices will be posted on the notice boards.
All members must provide current contact details to the Association, including their address, email address and/or telephone number.
The Association also has a WhatsApp group on which anyone can initiate discussions.
Changes to these rules
These rules will be reviewed every three years, but urgent interim changes can be approved by members at the AGM or by the committee.