Allotments springing up near you!!

[Geoffrey Settle]

Allotments are great but have you spotted a new allotment near you and if so should they be controlled, what do you think?

[silverlady54]

Allotments are to be encouraged as they help people to grow the good food they can't afford in the shops. Of course, they should be in places that don't cause annoyance to residents with parking etc., but there are lots of unused urban spaces which could be put to good use as allotments.

[Evil Sid]

Are you sure they are allotments and not some other sort of produce growing area

[observer]

Well Dave does want us all to be entrepreneurs

[Dizzy]

Allotments are great but have you spotted a new allotment near you and if so should they be controlled, what do you think?

 

Mmmmn tricky one. I suppose it depends on where they actually are.

 

I would love an allotment as I have no garden big enough to grow my own vegies and flowers but there are very few available and so far have always been owned/controlled by WBC. People keep them forever so there is no point in applying to go on the councils waiting list as it is very rare for any to become available. In addition the council have never offered any other land or set up new allotment areas.

 

I read this week that WBC want to close down a private allotment site on land owned by a chap as it is greenbelt land and he didn't apply for planning permision. Groves in the planning dept said had he applied then it would have been refused anyway as it's on green belt and land is only for agricultural and grazing !?!? Something about it standing in the way of developent as well but can't remember what that was about

 

Isn't growing vegies etc classed as being agricultural though ?

[Geoffrey Settle]

The one that I have noticed is at the corner of Farrell Street and Kingsway North where the landowner has put up a sign offering fishing rights to a new fishing area pond. Not sure where his water source is coming from.

 

Now what is that all about

[Wingnut]

I'll have a look into this one Geoff.

[algy]

Could be digging a new 'mud pit' for the 'bivvy brigade' wingy, other than that am I correct in thinking that the Mersey from Kingsway Bridge to the wier is free bankside fishing, i know that from there upstream a way is warrington Anglers, mind you it would be a heck of a cast to reach the river from that plot

[Wingnut]

Just had a nip out and made a few enquiries.

 

You are partly right Algy.

Warrington Anglers have the fishing rights on the "opposite" bank to the rowing club. It was free fishing on the rowing club side only, down from Kingsway bridge to Chadwicks paper mill.

 

 

Some chap baught the land from the council and proposed to build a lake, i.e the part that you can now see that has been dug out, which I think he was then going to use as allotments. The shortfall is that this land is a flood plane right over to the twiggery.

 

The fishing rights on the Mersey will be about 80 - 100 yds of bank from the right of the rowing club towards chaddwicks paper Mill. Not entirely free fishing rights though, as anybody fishing it will still need to purchase an annual E.A. licence.

 

Makes you wonder if it wasn't a gypsy that bought the land, as he obviously didn't do his homework.

[Evil Sid]

There is a difference between "Greenbelt land" and "agricultural land"

 

Green belt land

 

Green Belt land is a mix of previously developed and non-previously developed land.

It can cover small villages comprising a mixture of residential, retail, industrial and

recreational land, as well as fields and forests. In this context, it may be helpful to make

a distinction between land use and designation. Land use describes the main activity

taking place on an area of land, for example residential or agriculture, whereas the land

designation describes an area of land (with perhaps many land uses) with a special

characteristic such as National Parks, Urban Areas, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

and Green Belt.

Although there is a presumption that inappropriate development in Green Belts

is prohibited, some development does occur.

 

 

Agricultural land

 

 

The Definition of Agriculture

Section 336 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 defines 'agriculture' as including:

 

? 'horticulture, fruit growing, seed growing, dairy farming;

 

? the breeding and keeping of livestock (including any creature kept for the production of food, wool, skins or fur, or for the purpose of its use in the farming of land);

 

? the use of land as grazing land, meadow land, osier land, market gardens or nursery grounds; and

 

? the use of land for woodlands where that use is ancillary to the farming of land for other agricultural purposes.'

 

Although how you distinguish between the two is a minefield of definitions and changes from council to council. (It is often interchangeable as well depending on who gets to decide)

[Wingnut]

From Farrell Street, looking towards Kingsway bridge/flats.

 

 

I assume this is where the allotments were/was/are going to be. I think the owner has graded the land, in the hope that any water will run off into the ditch on the right hand side of the photo. The ditch was already full, so I think it works the opposite way around.

[Peter T]

I've never noticed allotments there.

[Dizzy]

There weren't any Peter... when I went past a few weeks ago it said 'for allotments or fishing' or words to that effect. It was my lad who made comment about it and he said it would be a really naff place to go fishing mainly because of all the traffic and noise from Kingsway.

[Geoffrey Settle]

When I went past yesterday the massive sign had gone.