By Harry Mottram: Chris Pearce of Save The Combe Down Allotments group said they were setting up a public interest company (PIC) in order to fight off the threat to end the lease on the allotments by the landlord with the help of Bourse Company Services in Bristol.
In an exclusive interview with Bath Voice he said: “We have had the allotments designated as an Asset of Community Value but a PIC gives us further support if the landlord decides to sell the land.”
The current lease to the Council has ended with the gardeners told to leave in October. The landlord Richard Lovegrove has not indicated what he plans for the land – despite it being allotments since 1895. Chris Pearce added: “We just want to get on with gardening, planting potatoes and onions, not worrying about the lease. The allotments are unique with stone markers placed in the 19th century to show the layout of the allotments which you can still see today. “
The allotment holders have fought a rear guard action to save the land from being developed with support locally, from councillors and the MP. They have a Facebook page and have collected more than 6,000 signatures in a bid to save the allotments.
The site sits between St Winifred’s Drive and Monkton Combe School and has been allotments since 1895 with 64 gardeners working the land producing, flowers, shrubs, fruit, berries, herbs and vegetables. By an accident of history, the large allotment site at Combe Down has been held in leasehold since 1895. The site, along with the adjacent quarry and the Monkton School playing fields, is owned by a distant relative of the original landowner, who is not a resident of Bath. The site was originally procured by the Monkton Combe Parish Council to serve the workers in the Bath stone mines but, following city boundary changes in 1967, became the responsibility of Bath City Council. The Council has held rolling leases since that time.
The B&NES Allotments Association (AA) represents the interests of over 600 allotment users in the city of Bath. There are 24 Council run allotments sites, with over 1,000 plot holders and a waiting list for plots running into hundreds. The Council, the local MP and numerous supporters have been on the side of saving the allotments with petitions, public meetings and negotiations with the landlord – all to no avail so far.
To pledge support for the Community Interest Company email Chris Pearce at combedown@banes-allotments.org.uk
A petition to save the allotments has been signed by thousands of Bathonians. To sign visit https://www.change.org/p/save-combe-down-allotments
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