8:36am Tuesday 17th November 2009
By Marc Meneaud
The head of an environmental project which helps community groups to grow food at Bradford’s allotments says the Council could do more to encourage people to grow their own in inner city areas.
Carlton Smith, the chief executive of Bradford Community Environment Project (BCEP), was speaking after it was revealed people could be waiting for up to a decade for a plot at Northcliffe Allotments in Shipley.
In other allotments nearer the city centre, there were plots available or the allotments had much shorter waiting lists, according to a report to the Council’s regeneration and economic improvement committee.
Mr Smith said: “I think more could be done. We are trying to work in a positive manner with the Council but I think they could promote allotments more in inner city areas.
“In the fringe areas, there are long waiting lists. Those allotments tend to be full and fairly well looked after. I think it is a slightly different scenario in the city centre, where perhaps they have had not quite as much care.”
Mr Smith was speaking out after Councillor Martin Love criticised the Council for not opening up more sites and improving things like security at existing allotments.
Coun Love said £250,000 earmarked in the last Council budget, which could have been spent on improving Bradford’s allotments and promoting grow-your-own food, had yet to be spent.
Belinda Gaynor, Bradford Council Property Services Officer, said: “While it is true the Northcliffe allotment site is subject to a long waiting list this is an indication of the success and popularity of the site.
“The extra money allocated to allotments this year will be spent on bringing overgrown and disused plots back into cultivation and on improving security.
“The site at Beech Grove which is referred to in the report to the regeneration and improvement committee is underused and subject to a lack of demand for plots due to the steeply banked nature of the site and drainage problems.
“It is proposed Beech Grove will be sold as part of a larger area of land with the sale being subject to a requirement that the purchaser provides a new, improved and more user-friendly allotments site.”
e-mail: marc.meneaud@telegraphandargus.co.uk
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/trade_directory/