Allotments

• This note describes the law on allotments, including some issues that frequently arise. The National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Ltd has a very useful website and is the main centre of allotment expertise.

• The law on allotments appears in several Acts of Parliament, some more than a century old.

• The Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908 imposed a duty on councils – which remains in force – to provide allotments if six or more people say that they want them. However, there is no time limit and many people would have to wait decades to obtain an allotment.

• Building on statutory allotment land is only allowed when the allotment holders are offered alternative sites.

• Despite these controls, many people have asked for the provision of more allotments to satisfy demand.

• The Government argues that the neighbourhood planning regime, for which the Localism Act makes provision, could lead to many new allotments.