Waiting lists for allotments can be years long in London

Its environment committee will look at whether allotments, which appear to be increasingly popular with eco-conscious Londoners, are disappearing.

Chairman Peter Hulme Cross will visit Manor Gardens Allotments in Stratford - due to be bulldozed to make way for the Olympic Village for 2012.

The waiting list for an allotment in Camden is 10 years long. In Haringey the list is so long its been closed.

It is thought concerns about food safety have helped to swell demands for home-grown produce.

Last year the Green Party on the assembly suggested the mayor's plans for a big increase in high-density housing with no gardens might boost allotments' popularity even further.

The London Assembly says allotments make a "valuable contribution" to quality of life in the city and must be protected.