EAP website: www.ealingallotmentspartnership.co.uk
Autumn 2016 No. 24
A lot is currently happening in Ealing and its allotments so no apologies for the fact that this is a rather longer edition of the newsletter than usual. Among all the good news, the bad news is that part of Northfield Allotments is under threat of development for housing – a full report on this below. Other, more positive items include a list of planned repair and maintenance for Council allotment sites, the results of this year’s Ealing-in-Bloom competition, a site profile of Pitshanger Allotments and updates on activities at a range of other Ealing sites.
Threat to Northfields Allotments
On September 1st, as chair of Ealing Dean Allotment Society (EDAS), I received the following email from Clive Wilson, the Chief Executive of Pathways, our landlord.
Dear Committee members,
We are starting consultation on a proposed development which will involve the demolition and rebuilding of Dean Court and providing a new building on approximately 10% of the Northfields allotment site. The new building on the allotments will allow us to start a process of a rolling decant of Dean Court which will help to keep the existing community together. The new development will provide 54 new social housing units for the elderly in Ealing.
We have written to all plot holders today and included an information booklet on our proposals (attached). I would like to meet with you at your earliest convenience to discuss our plans.
It’s the kind of message you have to read several times because you can’t quite take it all in. I’m sure we all regularly read of plotholders fighting to save their allotment site from developers. We understand their anger and shudder to contemplate that it could happen to our own site. I read it several more times just to be sure. Of course, we always feared this would happen, because it has happened to us before. Originall, Northfield Allotments were much larger and sat on either side of Northfield Avenue. In 1972 60% of the site was compulsory purchased and houses and flats were built on it. Most of it, including Dean Court, which is mentioned in the letter, is being knocked down and rebuilt barely 30 years after construction.
The glossy brochure that we were sent, mentions that they will need 10% of the allotment site. That is not a definite figure as the surveyors have yet to measure up. Our great worry is that 10% today will mean a further 90% tomorrow. From the consultation meetings we have had with Pathways, we have learned that part of the development is to help “decant” 18 residents, but is also about expanding Pathways’ operation using the assets it has. We are all aware of the need for social housing. Most of this social housing will be flats with no garden. Surely the landlord should see that some of their tenants could make use of the very plots they wish to cover in concrete. As one committee member, Paul McConnell, put it: “I agree that we need more affordable housing, but as the density of housing rises and population increases it becomes even more important to hold on to the open land and community facilities we have.Once our green spaces are developed, we will never get them back.This should not be a choice between social housing and green spaces.We need both.”
The first thing we did after receiving the letter was to organise meetings for all plot holders. It was short notice but around 80 people turned up, over three sessions. While there was a lot of emotion – there certainly wasn’t a feeling of resignation. Quite the opposite in fact; it seems the gardeners of Ealing have a fighting spirit.
The committee decided we needed to hold a special general meeting to ensure we have a mandate from our members to oppose this development. Our constitution states we have to give at least two weeks notice to hold an SGM – which meant we had some breathing space. The meeting was pretty robust and the following resolution (as shown opposite) was passed unanimously:
This General Meeting of EDAS maintains that the present extent of the NorthfieldAllotments site should be held in trust in perpetuity, as allotments for the community ofEaling and resolves as follows:
(i) to oppose the current proposal by Pathways to develop on part of NorthfieldAllotments;
(ii) to oppose any revised or future proposals to develop on or sell any part of theallotment site;
(iii) instructs the Committee to take all necessary steps to prevent development on orany loss of land from the current site; and
(iv) instructs the committee to call a further Special General Meeting once a planning application has beensubmitted.
So what do we do now? Well, we fight, of course.
In the last few weeks my inbox has exploded. Everyone is coming up with good ideas and I have told them to run with them and report back. The EDAS committee cannot do it on their own, we need everyone to do their bit. I hope as fellow gardeners you will support us too. You guys know what it means to have an allotment. It isn’t just about the fruit and veg. It’s the community spirit. It is a place to go for peace in a world of electronics, advertising and email that never stops. It is the place you think about and smile – even when you are having a bad day at work.
We know we have to oppose this development using sound planning arguments and not emotion. We are opening a separate bank account and we have started fund raising to pay for legal and planning advice. So, I am going to ask a favour. Please come to our Halloween Open Day and buy a raffle ticket and some tea and cake. Come and show the kids how to bob for apples. Tell your friends to come. Get the local school to put it in their newsletter. If you are going out trick or treating then pop over to Northfields Allotments and let the kids and grandkids walk through the allotments at dusk (bring a torch or lantern.) We’ll provide the ghosts.
Our Halloween Open Day is from 3.30-7.30 on Saturday 29th October.
Pathways proposal can be seen on its website at:
http://bit.ly/2dueibt -- feel free to leave a comment.
Christina Fox,
Chair of EDAS
News from Ealing Council
While most tenants may not have realised there has been any change in the management of allotments, the Parks Department have been working with a variety of site managers and associations to prepare for improvements on sites. A few sites have already seen some minor work done but the majority of the planned works will happen this Autumn/Winter.
Projects include:
· Fencing improvements to Jubilee Road, Village Park, High Lane, Perivale West and Braund Avenue.
· New gates at Lime Trees.
· Water supply improvements at Ascott Allotments, Cleveley Crescent and Whitton Drive
· Toilet facility improvements and decoration at Dormers Wells
· Entrance/path improvements at Blondin and Bixley Fields
In addition to this, the council is keen to commit match funds towards the introduction of composting toilets to improve the access and inclusiveness of our allotments. EAP has had successful negotiations with Dunster House, the supplier used for the recent additions at Horsenden. If this is something you would be interested in having installed on your site, please ask your site manager to advise the council, preferably by the end of November, to ensure your site is added to the list.
Chris Welsh
Parks Manager
Ealing-in-Bloom
The results of this year’s Ealing-in-Bloom competition were announced at the Award Ceremony held in the Old Town Hall on 22nd September; those for the Allotments Categories are summarised below. This year, the annual tussle between Oldfield and Framfield for top prize in the “Large Allotment Category” resulted in a dead heat. Unfortunately, Tony Lewis site manager at Framfield was unable to attend for health reasons so Michel Le Guilcher from Oldfield (pictured opposite) accepted the coveted cup on behalf of the pair of them. Needless to say, Michel was on his mobile within a couple of minutes to pass on the good news to Tony – who we all wish a speedy recovery!
Large Site Category
Equal 1st Place / Oldfield / Manager - Michel Le GuilcherEqual 1st Place / Framfield / Manager - Tony Lewis
Commended / Brentham / Manager – Patrick Williams
Commended / Jubilee Road / Manager – Michael Bunyan
Small Site Category
1st Place / Braund Avenue / Manager - Andy DoyleEqual 2nd Place / Whitton Place / Manager - Joseph Mangar
Equal 2nd Place / Limetrees 2 / Manager - Jonathon Pinnock
Large Plot Category
1st Place / Joanne Jackson / Oldfield2nd Place / Kristine Kristensen / Oldfield
3rd Place / Nigel Sumner / Ascott
Very Highly Commended / Oscar Smith / Oldfield
Very HighlyCommended / Hilary Jayne / Framfield
Very Highly Commended / Fiona Hughes / Oldfield
HighlyCommended / Trevor Sharman / Ascott
Highly Commended / Simon Stilwell / Framfield
Highly Commended / Slawek Krasnobebski / Ascott
Commended / Stephen Kophamel / Oldfield
Commended / Indranie Barratt / Framfield
Commended / Christopher Jones / Oldfield
Commended / Patrick Williams / Brentham
Small Plot Category
1st Prize / Wiktor Staniaszek / Braund Avenue2nd Prize / Debbie Fogarty / Ascott
3rd Prize / Clive Herring / Ascott
Very Highly Commended / Lila Kot / Oldfield
Very Highly Commended / Ravi Khosla / Framfield
Very Highly Commended / Amanda Attenborough / Framfield
Highly Commended / Gilly Prentice / Braund Avenue
Highly Commended / Hilary White / Blondin
Commended / Chris Noble / Brentham
Commended / Johanna Browning / Framfield
One Man’s Journey
I've had my allotment at Blondin since June 15th and although I've been gardening for a long time I was surprised what a steep learning curve I had to climb to learn everything about fruit &veg seed sowing and the creepy crawlies associated with growing them. Fortunately my fellow plot holders have been incredibly helpful with tips & advice, They've also helped with
watering when I was on holiday - which I reciprocated - and generously shared their plants and their harvest.
There are a range of tools to borrow at Blondin including petrol strimmers & lawn mowers and there's probably a chain saw, hedge trimmer and a shredder buried in the depths of the remarkably tidy storage container. The free chipped bark provided has been great for making paths between sections. This all helps keep costs low. I've erected a shed, laid paths, built compost bins, put up trellis and climbing supports and laid a small concrete slab path. I even had time to install a pond and now have frogs. The butterflies have been in abundance helped by the amazing wild flower garden I grew from a £1 seed collection from a pound store!
I've tried to remain environmentally friendly by encouraging nettles in an out of reach area, growing teasel, making comfrey and nettle teas and growing specific flowers for the bees. We've got a couple of small bug houses, more to follow and have encouraged the blackberries along the adjoining park fence - which also helps to
keep out intruders. I even arranged a cubs night so the kids could learn about allotments and plant some seeds which went towards their environment badge.
Of course, I've made my share of mistakes, for example I grew green manure plants to hold back the first winter’s weeds and to enrich the soil with nitrogen. Sadly the weeds didn't hold back and cutting back all the growth was very laborious. Not to mention the problems of the feast or famine scenario. And I have learned not to bother with out-of-date seeds even if they are only 10p a packet. I've also recently learnt that my plot had a giant blackberry right in the middle that people happily relieved of all its fruit - and 16 months later I'm still digging up the monster. This weekend I'm hiring a trained badger to dig it up:-) With such a wet early summer I got desperate to save my seedlings and put down slug pellets - but never again. Amongst other measures, I'm lining all the edges of my plotwith crushed egg shells - any donations gratefully received...
Stephen Barnes
Site Profile
Pitshanger Allotments
Pitshanger Allotments, run by the Pitshanger Allotments Conservation Association (PACA), occupy a spacious, rural feeling site adjoining the open spaces of Pitshanger Park. Argyle Road with its bus services, whilst offering easy public transport access, is not near enough to intrude upon the peace of our site. For those coming by car, the car park in Pitshanger Park, off Perivale Gardens, is within 50 metres of our main gate. Cars may be brought on site for dropping off purposes only.
We offer 208 plots of varying sizes and an increasing number of these are let as half plots. This option provides a useful introduction to gardening for those short of confidence or time. For less able bodied tenants, we have five raised beds which enable gardening to be undertaken with less strain to limbs. Our rents of £18 a pole (2016/2017) are collected at the end of September when new keys to the site are also issued.
Since 2001, we have been a fully self-managed site leasing the land from the Borough of Ealing. This independence has meant we have been able to initiate a number of self-funded capital projects. One of the most useful of these was the digging of a borehole to provide a constant supply of water to the site. No hose ban worries here. We have also recently resurfaced sections of our roadway and renewed our drainage system.