Once tomato greenhouses, the Ashdown Vale estate is an attractive housing development in Barnham. Included in the design was an allotment site, but as the homes were moved into, the allotment site descended into a jungle of overgrown weeds.
In 2022, residents took matters into their own hands and the allotment community project began. Through extensive research on the governance of new build developments and land ownership, along with the allotment association set up process, the team came up with a plan of action.
With the support of the National Allotment Society, the Ashdown Vale Allotment Association came into being. A major hurdle was the need to gain a lease from the management company who owned the land. The directors of the management company remained employees of the developer for many years. 5 years after the first home owners moved in, finally the directorship was handed over to residents. The allotment committee launched into action and a lease was successfully secured within 3 months.
The next challenge was to gain control of the heavily overgrown weeds to make the site suitable for cultivation. As a community project, money was not readily available. Fortunately, support from local businesses and volunteers enabled the project to move forward. Tivoli Services very kindly took on the mammoth task of clearing the area of weeds and rotavating the site, giving us a blank canvas to work with. Volunteers from the community came together to measure the site and mark out the paths and plots.
The allotments opened in mid-September to great fanfare, and the allotment community began.
The site is in its infancy and still has a long way to go; from installing a water supply, through to creating a communal area for all to enjoy. But already the creativity, passion and joy shown by our plot-holders has made the whole journey worthwhile.