The New Local Government Network (NLGN) has welcomed government backing of its proposals to build more allotments on private land, announced by communities secretary John Denham MP and environment secretary Hilary Benn MP.
In September 2009, NLGN called on the government and local councils to make better use of the estimated 3,500 hectares of unused brownfield land to help cater for the estimated 100,000 people in the UK currently on a waiting list for an allotment plot.
The government announced that it would be working with local authorities and private land owners to create more space for local residents to grow produce and to create a community land bank of public sector brownfield sites which could be turned into allotments.
However, NLGN urged the government to look again at introducing tax breaks for land owners who donate land for local community gardening and to reserve the right to introduce a Large Private Estates Commission which could have the power to temporarily transfer unused plots of private land to the local community for allotment use.
NLGN’s 2009 report, Can you Dig It?, recommended many of the proposals set out today.
The report’s author, Nick Hope, said: “The government’s announcement of setting up a 'land bank' of privately held, council-owned and spare NHS land that could be used for allotments is a welcome step and hopefully it will make a dent in the list of 100,000 people waiting for an allotment plot.
“However, the success of the scheme will be reliant on private landowners signing up to the scheme, particularly the top one per cent of landowners who own 70 per cent of the UK.
“The government may wish to reserve the option of empowering communities to temporarily lease small plots of unused land from these big landowners on a compulsory basis if they do not voluntarily opt in to the scheme.”
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