Why have an allotment?
Nothing else tastes as good as the fresh vegetables or fruit grown on an allotment. You can grow enough vegetables or fruit to feed your family and the exercise will help to keep you fit and healthy. If you have a small garden planted with shrubs and flowers, with no room for vegetables or fruit, why not rent an allotment from the council. Allotments are also a great place to meet new people, make friends and a way of participating in the local community.
Allotments also play an important role in the protection and promotion of biodiversity as well as contributing towards a more sustainable lifestyle. They naturally act as a habitat for wildlife such as birds, insects and mammals. Sustainable practices include composting and rainwater harvesting.
The use of hosepipes are not permitted on Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council owned allotments.
WAITING LIST UPDATE:
Please note that at the following sites it is estimated that based on turnover the waiting time is currently 10 years or more:
Abbey Road, Bach Close, Bermuda Close, Carpenters Down, Hatch Warren, Kenilworth Road, Pitcairn Close, Quilter Road, West Ham Close, Beggarwood Lane and Marnel Park.
Following continual review the waiting lists at all allotment sites are open including the above sites. Please refer to the entire site list below.
Who qualifies?
Anyone over the age of 18 who lives within the borough of Basingstoke and Deane is eligible to apply for one of our allotments. Applications from people who live outside the borough boundary are not considered.
Allotment sizes
Allotment plots can vary in size but as a rule a full plot is 250 sq.mtrs (10 rods) and a half plot is 125 sq.mtrs (5 rods).
Cost
2013/14 annual rates are:
- Over 60s, first allotment plot (25 sq.mtrs/per rod) £2.05
- Cost of standard existing allotment plot (25 sq.mtrs/per rod) £4.10
How do I apply?
If you wish to apply for an allotment in one of the 42 sites in the Basingstoke area, please call the contact centre on 01256 844844 and we will arrange to send you an application form or if you wish you can complete our online form:
Allotment Application Form
Alternatively, you can download an application form from this website and send to Environmental Services, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Civic Offices, London Road, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 4AH. In addition, if you have a general enquiry, you can email allotments@basingstoke.gov.uk.
Please note that if you already have an allotment in Basingstoke we are unable to accept any further applications from you. This is due to the fact that we have a very long waiting list of applicants who do not have an allotment. In addition, we are only accepting new applications from one person per household address.
The list below shows the number of plots we currently have including the number of applicants waiting for an allotment plot to become available at each site. Please note that these figures were calculated on 23 April 2013 and although the numbers do change on a day to day basis, in general (subject to receiving a large number of applications in a short space of time) they are a good guide as to the current situation.
| Site Number |
Site Name |
Number of Plots on Site |
Number of Applicants
waiting for a plot to become available |
| 1 |
Abbey Road |
14 |
24 |
| 2 |
Bach Close |
8 |
10 |
| 3 |
Bermuda Close |
10 |
11 |
| 4 |
Burgess Road |
20 |
4 |
| 5 |
Cambrian Way |
12 |
10 |
| 6 |
Carpenters Down |
10 |
28 |
| 7 |
Cedar Way |
9 |
5 |
| 8 |
Churchill Way |
117 |
32 |
| 9 |
Chiltern Way |
28 |
16 |
| 10 |
Chopin Road |
14 |
15 |
| 11 |
Cordale Road |
44 |
25 |
| 12 |
Coronation Road |
18 |
6 |
| 13 |
Dover Close |
14 |
5 |
| 14 |
Eastrop Way |
53 |
32 |
| 15 |
Elizabeth Road |
48 |
24 |
| 16 |
Gainsborough Road |
24 |
14 |
| 17 |
Hackwood Road |
43 |
14 |
| 18 |
Hatch Warren |
38 |
31 |
| 19 |
Haydn Road |
24 |
19 |
| 20 |
Kelvin Hill |
19 |
7 |
| 21 |
Kenilworth Road |
12 |
9 |
| 22 |
Ludlow Close |
8 |
6 |
| 23 |
Paddock Road |
11 |
5 |
| 24 |
Pinkerton Road |
36 |
5 |
| 25 |
Pitcairn Road |
15 |
21 |
| 26 |
Quilter Road |
19 |
24 |
| 27 |
Russell Road |
31 |
12 |
| 28 |
Silvester Close |
15 |
7 |
| 29 |
South View |
60 |
17 |
| 30 |
Stag Hill |
35 |
8 |
| 31 |
St Peter’s Road |
27 |
12 |
| 32 |
Sycamore Way |
8 |
5 |
| 33 |
Tiverton Road |
43 |
15 |
| 34 |
Tintern Close |
16 |
7 |
| 35 |
Trinidad Close |
14 |
14 |
| 36 |
West Ham Close |
3 |
2 |
| 37 |
Whiteditch |
75 |
12
|
| 38 |
Wilmott Way |
10 |
0 |
| 39 |
Worting Road |
15 |
14 |
| 40 |
Beggarwood Lane |
15 |
31 |
| 42 |
Marnel Park
(new site)
for Marnel Park residents only |
20 |
31 |
| 43 |
Highfields
(new site) for Highfields residents only |
23 |
3 |
|
|
|
1078
|
592 |
Waiting List
Please note that at the following sites it is estimated that based on turnover the waiting time is currently 10 years or more:
Abbey Road, Bach Close, Bermuda Close, Carpenters Down, Hatch Warren, Kenilworth Road, Pitcairn Close, Quilter Road, West Ham Close, Beggarwood Lane and Marnel Park.
Applicants who have been waiting the longest are the first to be offered a plot when an allotment becomes vacant although this may not always be the site that they have originally chosen - it depends on where vacancies arise. Applicants are entitled to refuse an offer if it is not their preferred site without prejudice to any future offers. It is also important to note that although the list highlights that only 5 applicants are waiting at Pinkerton Road, if a person at another nearby site in the same postal district has been waiting longer, they would be offered a plot first - this policy ensures priority is always given to those who have been waiting the longest. It also means that even if you become top of the list at your chosen site, if someone else has been waiting longer at another nearby site where there are no vacancies, they would receive the first offer.
When a plot is given up as a result of ill health or death, a member of the family living at the same address has the right to take over tenancy of the plot. With regard to registered co-workers (a person who assists a tenant) and who has been registered for a period which exceeds the longest qualifying waiting list application can also apply and expect to take over the tenancy.
In terms of how long applicants are likely to wait for an allotment, turnover is difficult to predict. However, with the current demand for allotments at a record high, it is likely to be at least 36 - 48 months on many sites (please also refer to comments above concerning sites where the waiting time is estimated to be 10 years or more). In situations where an applicant decides that they wish to continue waiting for a plot at one specific site or local area where demand is extremely high, the wait could be many years
Once you have applied for an allotment your name will be added to our waiting list. As soon as a vacancy arises we will contact you immediately. Please only contact us again if you need to withdraw from the waiting list.
Letting Procedure
What happens when I qualify for an allotment plot?
When you reach the top of the waiting list and qualify for an allotment you will be contacted. Arrangements will be made for the Site Representative to show you the plot on offer. Once you have seen the plot and have confirmed you wish to accept the offer a Tenancy Agreement will be sent to you in the post together with an accompanying letter including the cost of the plot.
How do I pay for my plot?
Once you have received the Tenancy Agreement together with payment details in the post, you can pay for your plot in several ways:
1. Internet - you may pay by credit or debit card via the internet using a secure link from the council's website at www.basingstoke.gov.uk/browse/council-and-democracy/payments/onlinepayts.htm
2. Telephone - dial 01256 844844 and have your credit or debit card details available together with your allotment plot details. This facility is available from 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Thursday and from 08.30 to 5pm on Friday.
3. In person - at the Payment Hall in Parklands, Civic Offices, London Road, Basingstoke during office hours: Monday to Friday 8.30am to 4pm. Please bring all documents with you.
4. Post - send your cheque with detachable remittance advice slip/allotment plot details to the Finance Dept, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Civic Offices, London Road, Basingstoke, RG21 4AH. Cheques should be made payable to ' Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council'. Please do not send cash in the post. If you require a receipt please include a stamped self-addressed envelope.
What happens once I have paid/how do I obtain a key?
Once new tenants have paid for their plot, the tenants contact details are forwarded to the Allotment Area Representative who administers the keys. The Allotment Area Representative will contact you direct to confirm the arrangements for you to collect and pay for a key. There is a £10 deposit for the key payable upon collection.
Rural Areas
If you wish to apply for an allotment plot in a rural area, please contact the local Parish Council as follows:
Old Basing - 76 plots at Riley Lane
Contact - BasingClerk@aol.com, at the Pavilion, The Recreation Ground, The Street, Old Basing. Tel: 01256 462847
Kingsclere - 36 plots off Longcroft Road
Contact Sheila Thompson - kpcclerk@yahoo.co.uk or on 01635 298634
Whitchurch Town Council
Contact Mrs C Burt - 01256 892107
Sherborne St John
Contact - Mandy Haworth - ssjclerk@gmail.com or on 07714 770 940
Tadley - Giles Road and Rowan Road
Contact the warden - nickibarry@hotmail.com or on 0118 9820008
Oakley and Deane Parish Council - 37 plots in Andover Road (available to Oakley residents only).
Contact Sally Warner - sallywarner@odpc.freeserve.co.uk or 01256 780886
Chineham Parish Council - Ajax Close (new site)
Contact Sally Jackson - clerk@chineham.gov.uk or 01256 474500
Sherfield on Loddon Parish Council
Contact Mrs Karen Ross - sherfield_clerk@yahoo.co.uk or 01256 473927
Bramley Parish Council
Contact Sarah Smart - 01256 560366
Permission in relation to new allotments:
The use of land for an 'agricultural purpose' does not need planning permission.
Under the 1990 Town and Country Planning Act “agriculture” is defined in section 336, as follows:
“agriculture” includes 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 and nursery grounds, and the use of land for woodlands where that use is ancillary to the farming of land for other agricultural purposes, and “agricultural” shall be construed accordingly;”
If the land is being used for such purposes, planning permission would not be required. However, the erection or installation of any fencing, water pipes, sheds, car parks or other structures may need planning permission. General information on planning permission and how to contact a planning officer is available on line (link to http://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/planning/dc/apps/preapp/ )
Useful Weblinks
National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Limited
BBC Gardening
Royal Horticultural Society
The National Trust
Wikipedia
Allotments UK
Grow veg
RSPCA Poultry
Basingstoke Beekeepers
