Waiting list for allotments 'more than six years'

The average wait time for an allotment in an area of Surrey is more than six years due to a chronic shortage of sites, according to Green Party councillors.

Reigate & Banstead Borough Council (RBBC) manages 1,210 allotment plots across 24 sites. However, the queue to get on is about 900 people long, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council said it was aware of the benefits allotments and that it had more than any other Surrey areas but acknowledged that the challenges of creating more "were plentiful".

Green councillor Paul Chandler said he was "disappointed" the council had not responded to his request for more sites.

Among his suggestions was Sandcross Lane, in Reigate, which he said had "ample space" for allotment plots.

"When I asked whether RBBC has plans to create more sites, the reply was ambiguous," he said.

"This is not good enough. Residents, especially those who don't have their own gardens, deserve the opportunity to grow their own vegetables and other well-known benefits allotmenteering brings."

Nadean Moses, executive member for green spaces and environmental sustainability, said the council was working to ensure existing plots were well-used and reallocated as quickly as possible.

"There is a high demand for allotments, which is not unique to Reigate and Banstead, and this outstrips availability nationwide," she said.

"As of Monday, there are 79 vacant plots in the process of being let and there are 884 households on our waiting list."

Moses added that 437 plots had become available in the last three years and that the average wait time ranged from six months to two-and-a-half years, depending on the site.

She said that large parts of the borough were designated as Common Land, Sites of Special Scientific Interest or Local Nature Reserves, restricting development of any kind.

"I am delighted that the first of two new allotment sites at Westvale Park has now been completed and will be available shortly for local residents," she added.

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