FOUR overgrown allotments could be given new life as a disability-friendly garden, under trailblazing new plans.

The scheme, at Bowling Park Allotments in Bradford, would be a first for the district and organisers say it would be a positive way of responding to a horrifying vandalism attack on one man’s plot earlier this year.

Disabled John Tatersall, from Tyersal, was left devastated by back-to-back attacks in July which saw his chickens burned alive, his vegetable beds wiped out and his two sheds razed to the ground.

Mr Tatersall has now pieced his plot back together, with help from family and friends, while a fundraising campaign will also pay for him to get some new tools.

Mr Tatersall, who suffers from depression, said the disability-friendly garden was a great idea and he said he himself had found tending to his allotment therapeutic.

He said: “It’s a good idea. It’s an unused area at the moment, therefore if it could be tidied up it’s a good idea.”

The plan is the brainchild of Andrew Hastie, the chairman of Bowling Allotments and Gardens Association.

He said the four plots, which form a rectangle, had been left abandoned and overgrown for many years.

He said: “I look at things sometimes and think, what can we do here?

“I have had the idea for a couple of years, to turn this area into a disability area.

“But after what went on with Mr Tatersall, it brought everybody in, like the Council and the local police, to say, ‘What can we do?’

“I put forward the idea and everybody said it was great.”

Under the plans, the four abandoned plots would be transformed into a new accessible garden, with a community building installed as well as disabled parking spaces, a sloping path and raised beds for easy access.

The project would cost £20,000 to £40,000, depending on whether the community building was included.

Mr Hastie said they were hoping to finance the project through a mixture of grants and crowdfunding, but they were also looking for anyone who could donate materials such as sleepers or compost, as well as volunteers who could help to design and build the garden.

He said the scheme would see an old toilet relocated and security features added such as anti-vandal paint.

And he said they were in talks with Bradford-based organisation Equality Together about how the garden would be used, but said it wouldn’t just be for disabled people and that local schools and other groups could get involved as well.

Anyone who can help with the project can email Mr Hastie at andrew@bagsbradford.co.uk.

The crowdfunding campaign can be found at justgiving.com/crowdfunding/garden14.