September 20, 2011 5.02 pm This story is over 150 months old

Council to scrap fees for unkept allotments

Cheap allotments: You may be able to get a plot with a wavered fee, if you are willing to do some hard work.
The allotments near Boultham Park are in high demand

Residents looking to get an allotment from the City of Lincoln Council may be able to get a plot with a wavered fee, if they are willing to do some hard work themselves.

At an Executive meeting on September 19, the council’s amendment to allotment fees passed an initial stage, which could mean overgrown or untidy plots are given away to tenants for a lower price.

By not preparing the allotments for use themselves, the council could save a significant amount of money.

The authority has around 1,000 plots of different sizes across 18 sites in Lincoln. At present the demand for allotments is high.

In July, the waiting list for an allotment plot in Lincoln had 185 people.

In the past, allotment demand has been considerably lower, which caused plots to remain empty for long periods of time, meaning they would overgrow.

The council’s effort to bring overgrown plots back to use is around £100 per plot, so the authority believes that a fee waiver would be suitable for both potential tenants and its purse strings.

Current costs for plots vary depending on the size of the plot, but usually cost between £25 and £50 per year, with another charge of £15.50 per year for water.

Special discounts are also available to certain residents, such as the unemployed.

However, this would mean that the tenant would have to tidy up the plot themselves in order to get the discount.

The proposal will now go to a Full Council meeting where a final decision on fees will be made.