EHGC 3 Year Development Plan: re-investment funds requested for allotments
In January this year, we produced the EHGC 3 Year Development Plan.
It is a real vision for the future, but importantly it is set out with clear objectives and achievable plans. A full breakdown of cost for all the projects is included within the plan. The funding request to bring the Allotments into the 2020's is £173,000.
The Plan was given to HTC in January and presented to the HTC Allotment working party meeting in February. We are advised a decision will be made by HTC Councillors on the funding to be allocated to reinvest in Allotments at the annual Council meeting in March 2020.
Land at previous EHGC Westfield Allotments has been sold to developers to build social housing. Part of the site was kept - now called Willoughby Road Allotments.
The Law is that receipts from the sale of allotment land must be spent improving existing allotments first. Only the surplus may be used for other purposes.
You can view the full plan here.
In summary:
We feel £173,000 it is a fair and honest funding request.
We have only asked for what our members need - safety, security and accessibility. Exactly in line with our club survey. No frills, nothing extra. We could have been in the £200k's with electricity supply on sites for green machinery, battery operated mowers, toilets on all sites, solar panels for the clubhouse for green energy, etc - but we have not. We have kept it to the basics of safety, security and access.
It is important to reiterate that a central component of our plan is to improve access at sites for those who are less able or disabled i.e. to be open to all so we do not discriminate against any part of the community. It is extremely difficult for those who are less mobile, people with prams or those who suffer from dementia, to get into some sites or up the steps to our shop and Clubhouse.
£173,000 is only 6.5% of £2.65 million, which ironically is almost the same as our current reach of 6% and less than the reach of 9% when we are full, and the past 10 year reach of 14%.
£173,000 still leaves almost £2.5 million for other town projects. That's a lot of money still left.
* Note - the reach is an estimate of the number of people benefiting from our allotments (based on the answers members gave to the last question in our recent survey).
We know how desperate our members are for good fencing and gates to make the sites secure and for sites to be safe accessible places.
This funding will be a real turning point for the club and the facilities available for local residents for the next 25+ years.
