Police arrive as locals block Abbots Leigh site from allotment developers

Residents of Abbot Leigh used their cars to block multiple entrances to a proposed 700-plot allotment on Thursday in the fourth day of an ongoing standoff.

Commercial allotment company, Roots Allotments, is attempting to build a 700-plot allotment and an 80-capacity park on a popular greenbelt site just outside Abbots Leigh village.

Roots, which was set up by brothers William and Joshua Gay, and their friends Ed Morrison and Christian Samuel, have set up commercial allotments in Avon Views and Tucker Meadows near Bath.

At the time of publication, Roots have applied a certificate of lawful use from North Somerset, but they had not received a decision yet.

Locals block one of the site entrances with their cars – photo: Mia Vines Booth

But locals say the site is rich in biodiversity, and the allotments will increase traffic on an already dangerous road.

They said there has been little engagement from Roots to understand their concerns, and the arrival of the diggers on Monday morning appeared to be the nail in the coffin.

Since then, residents and constructors from Roots have been engaged in an ongoing stalemate that began on Monday, and four days later, shows no signs of slowing down.

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Read more: Allotment company defends decision to build on meadow despite objections

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On Thursday morning, residents blocked the arrival of a storage container. The police were called after a local, Liz Phillips, tried to block the container, resulting in an incident between Philips and a member of Roots. The police later decided the matter was a civil one.

Residents have remained in place around the site however, using their cars to block various entrances, and leaving constructors blocked into the site.

Roots Allotment construction machines remained blocked in the field as the stalemate continued – photo: Mia Vines Booth

Members of Save Abbots Leigh Greenbelt handed out flyers to people entering the site via cars, many of whom use the field regularly to walk their dogs.

They had also collected samples from the top soil that had been offloaded onto the site on Wednesday.

One member showed Bristol24/7 the contents of the soil, which contained plastic wrappers, and other non-biodegradable materials.

Non-biodegradable material collected from the topsoil brought into the site on Wednesday – photo: Mia Vines Booth

According to residents, Roots told them the soil has been approved by the council, and that allotment users will pick out the plastic from their own plots, but residents believe this is a botch response to a potentially environmentally-damaging problem.

However a spokesman for Roots Allotments said they were also unhappy with the quality of the compost.

“What the residents say about the compost cuts across a conversation we are already having with the supplier,” they said.

“We are unhappy with the amount of plastic the compost contains and are arranging for it be removed from the site and replaced with compost from another supplier.

“For the record, despite being repeatedly asked not to, the residents entered the site unlawfully in order to take samples of the compost. It’s very disappointing that they would seek to misrepresent our use of it without knowing all the facts.”

Gino Rosolek, who lives by the proposed allotment site, said there was not enough need locally for the number of allotments proposed.

“People could be commuting from up to 30 miles away to visit the site, which is not eco-friendly and is not serving the community where it is situated,” he said.

“Roots have tried to dress this site up as being any other field. It’s incredibly biodiverse. They are going to destroy the ecosystem.

“We’re described as ‘NIMBYs’ but we’re not. We have a genuine passion and concern about the wildlife that we are very fortunate to live around.”

“We would be more than happy if it was a much smaller number, serving people we know locally who don’t have the luxury of having a garden or space.”

A spokesperson for Roots said they were “shocked” by the backlash they had received and insisted the site would increase biodiversity in the area.

“The land has been used to graze cattle and grow mixed crops and is classified as modified grassland with a primary function that is agricultural use,” they said.

“A majority of greenbelt land has been used for food production since time began and it shocks us to receive such a backlash from some local residents who simply don’t want a chemical-free progressive allotment site opening nearby, and who unfortunately do not consider the people of Bristol as part of their local area, despite living only 1.3 miles from Bristol.”

North Somerset Council looks set to make a decision on whether or not it will approve the site on Thursday.

Main photo: Pip A’Ness

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