By Harry Mottram: There is hope that the allotment holders who were kicked off their plots in Combe Down could eventually get them back – but only if the Council is able to acquire them. An absentee and elderly landlord who lives in the North of England decided to evict them last year with an eye possibly to developing or selling the site – and to make a pretty penny as opposed to the modest rents he charges the gardeners.
Replying to Bath Voice, Councillor Sarah Warren, deputy leader and cabinet member for Sustainable Bath & North East Somerset, said: ”We are continuing our efforts to acquire the Combe Down Allotment site and have sent a survey to allotment holders We encourage allotment holders to take part in the survey.”
The allotment holders who have a campaign group called Save Combe Down Allotments have welcomed the news and have appealed to gardeners keen on taking on an allotment to respond to the survey which has a deadline of the 10th of July – just days away. To complete the survey email: CAM@bathnes.gov.uk adding Subject: Combe Down Allotments Q1.
The campaigners told Bath Voice: “We have some very encouraging news about our allotments. The Council has now formally confirmed that it is pursuing the acquisition of the Combe Down allotments site, with the intention of offering new allotment tenancies/licences if the acquisition is successful. This is a significant step forward for our campaign. To help keep the momentum going, we now need your support. Please email: CAM@bathnes.gov.uk By: Friday 10 July Subject: Combe Down Allotments Q1 Every email will help demonstrate the strong local demand for allotments in Combe Down. Back in February, the Save Combe Down Allotments/Friends of Combe Down Allotments campaign asked local residents to register their interest in having an allotment through the Council’s online form. We were delighted by the fantastic response—thank you to everyone who took part.
“As the acquisition process continues, the Council has reached a stage where in order to continue, had asked us to demonstrate the current level of local demand. If you would be interested in having an allotment in Combe Down—whether you registered your interest previously or are doing so for the first time—please email CAM@bathnes.gov.uk by Friday 10 July, quoting “Combe Down Allotments Q1″ in the subject line or body of your email. This is not a commitment to taking on an allotment. It is simply a way of showing the Council that there is strong and continuing community demand for allotments in Combe Down. Please spare a couple of minutes to add your voice. Every email counts, and the more people who respond, the stronger the case for securing this valuable community asset. Thank you for your continued support. Together, we can help ensure that Combe Down retains its allotments for future generations.”
The site had 64 plots where they had been for 130 years but the allotment holders were given notice to quit in the autumn of 2025.
Combe Down allotments is the last remaining privately owned allotment leased to BANES Council in Bath. It was founded in 1895 for the use of the quarry workers to grow food for their families and provide them with a worthwhile activity on Sundays. 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.
Since 2024 when it became clear the lease was to be terminated there has been a spirited campaign by the allotment holders, supported by the residents, the MP Wera Hobhouse, local councillors and school children who wrote letters to the council stressing how important a green space it was.
Now it is up to locals and those keen to take up one of plots if the council is successful with the pressure of a deadline of Friday 10 July, to complete the survey. Email: CAM@bathnes.gov.uk quoting “Combe Down Allotments Q1”.
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