Organic produce can be grown on allotments

Suggested improvements for the service include producing a new city-wide guide, involving more young people, and helping to develop the skills of newer allotment holders.

Officials also want to scale back some sites that are not widely used to provide extra housing and lesiure space.

There are more than 1,100 allotment spaces across the city.

Still demand

Councillor Alan Jones said: "The sites themselves represent a considerable asset to the city.

"This new programme of activities is a far-reaching plan designed to help and make the best of what our allotments have to offer."

Allotments have declined in popularity since their heyday at the end of World War Two.

Dave Meigh, head of parks and gardens at York Council, said: "While the take-up of allotments can vary widely between actual sites, from 25 to 100%, there is still demand for them.

"There has been a shift in social demand and patterns and what we are getting now is more and more people using allotments to grow their own organic produce."