Features / allotments
‘My allotment is my safe space’
Alina Hibbert is standing in the greenhouse on her small plot at Thingwall Park allotments, as the rain beats down around her.
She tries to visit the allotment, which is in Fishponds, at least once a week, which is all she can manage at the moment after she moved from the area to Henbury, more than an hour away by bus.
But she’s not planning on giving up her allotment any time soon, after waiting two years for a spot.
is needed now More than ever
Hibbert is one of a number of allotmenteers fighting back against Bristol City Council’s proposals to increase fees and change what allotmenteers can and can’t grow on their plots, including promoting tree removal, limiting plant types, and charging for ponds.
The proposals are part of the council’s Parks and Green Spaces strategy, currently out for consultation. The final document will shape Bristol’s land use and food growing for the next 15 years.
Alina waited two years for her allotment, and behind her hundreds more wait for anywhere between one and three years for a plot
But a newly-formed group of allotmenteers that form part of over 4,000 individual plot holders in Bristol, has now launched a petition against the proposals, which they believe will have an impact on nature and access to plots.
Alina, 25, currently pays £50 for her half plot, but this could go up to £79 under the new proposals. Rent will jump from £70 to £141 for those with full plots.
“The raising of the prices is hitting people really hard,” said Alina. “A lot of people can’t afford it even with the reduced rate. There’s a lot of extra costs as well.”
“For those that have had an allotment here for years, If they have to give up their plots, it’s taking away their independence.”
“These new rules are really discouraging. They’re making it so black and white.”
Growers say new rules about the height of trees, ponds, and food cultivation would affect the harmony of plots that have existed at the site for years
Alina and her fellow allotmenteers are also concerned with another section of the proposals, which stipulates that 75 per cent of plots have to be “cultivated”, which means used for growing food.
“This is my main bug bear,” says Alina. “It’s a black and white line. For one person, 75 per cent is a lot of work and dedication and would cost a lot of money. I’d also grow way too much for one person. I already give a lot to the allotment foodbank.”
“I think they’re doing that because they want people to give up these whole plots and turn them into half plots. Waiting lists are in the hundreds.”
Many allotmenteers combine food growing with fruit trees, ponds, wildflower meadows and ornamental gardens, which wouldn’t count towards the food cultivation percentage.
One of the council’s concerns is food shortages, and they’ve looked into giving people with more food access needs priority over allotments. Concessions are currently available to those on universal credit or who have a pension.
Thingwall Park allotments have a community orchard and allotment which everyone can use, as well as a foodbank where they donate surplus food
But Alina doesn’t believe this is the solution to food insecurity: “There is already a community plot on the Thingwall Park allotment site, whose sole purpose is to grow food for the food banks, and a lot of growers are already donating their surplus produce to food banks.
For Alina, who suffers with depression and PTSD, her allotment plot is her escape.
“My allotment is my safe space. Gardening helps my mental health. It works wonders. I’ve been a gardener since I was a kid, and I love it.”
Alina has grown a following on Instagram and Youtube through her page, Little Plant Lover, where she documents her gardening process through videos and photography.
“I don’t have the privilege of owning my garden, which is why I got an allotment,” she adds.
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“You’ll see plots that have turned into gardens as well as food growing spaces because many of us live in flats because that’s all we can afford and we don’t have access to an outdoor space that’s ours.
“I knew that even though I may move around Bristol, this plot will never move. It will always be here. Just to sit here and be in a nice quiet area is so relaxing.”
A meeting is planned on January 4 at St Werburgh’s Community Centre to organise a campaign to place power back in the hands of allotmenteers, many of whom want a say in how they run their allotment.
“I would really like the council to reconsider the purpose of an allotment,” reflected Alina. “It feels like they have gone in with blinkers with the idea that allotments are for food growing and that’s it.
“We’re worried of being prosecuted for not doing the right things, like getting rid of weeds or having the wrong flowers.”
Thingwall Park allotments is the biggest allotment site in Bristol, with over 200 plots
“It’s very discouraging. We’re running out of green spaces in the UK. The amount of gardens and green spaces we have has massively declined.”
Councillor Ellie King said: “If we don’t rise the rents, we will continue to be in a state of managing decline of the service – slow response times to issues, neglected plots not brought back into action, insufficient resource for maintenance etc.
“I want the service to be something we can be proud of, and to do that and address the waiting list we need to uplift the rent.
“We’re also investing in community food growing projects as another great way to get involved in food growing in local areas.”
All photos: Mia Vines Booth
Read next:
- Allotmenteers resist council’s ‘draconian’ new rules
- Bristol most difficult city to get an allotment in UK
- Allotment company defends decision to build on meadow despite objections
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