Fears for charity's future over water firm's work

Staff at an award-winning allotments charity in Sheffield have warned it could be forced to close after Yorkshire Water said it needed to carry out 18 months of work at the site.

Friends of Firth Park Community Allotments started in 2005 at the Brushes allotment site on Vickers Road, but is preparing to leave there on 2 February so the work can be carried out.

Yorkshire Water said it planned to build a stormwater overflow tank and sewage pumping station across the land as part of a £3.2m scheme.

The firm acknowledged that temporarily moving allotment tenants was "not an easy decision to take", but Saskia Peat, from the charity, said an offer of £6,000 in compensation was a "smack in the mouth".

Friends of Firth Park Community Allotments was first launched in a bid to teach food growing skills to the community after concerns about the health of local children.

It started as a partnership between Firth Park Surestart and Heeley City Farm, with the aim of setting up family sessions, teaching food growing skills and helping to build a community who could enjoy outside activities, exercise and grow new crops.

Outreach work has also since been provided for local schools and young offenders institutions, with funding from the National Lottery, Sheffield Council, the Co-op Community Fund and "This is Us" funding from NHS South Yorkshire.

Peat, 47, coordinator for the charity, said she believed Yorkshire Water had "misled" people about the work to be carried out at the site to reduce storm overflows into Firth Park stream.

"After we first were told about these plans in October, we stood on this plot with Yorkshire Water and they told me, 'don't worry, we'll compensate you for everything' - the plants, the crops, our time. But now this," she said.

The group was now resigned to their land being "levelled", including its specialist sheds, children's garden reading areas, polytunnels and all raised garden beds, according to Peat.

"There are quite a few people who have been unable to help with taking the allotment down and packing it away because emotionally those ties are so strong, so it's heartache for them and they can't face doing it," she said.

Peat added that people involved in the allotments were particularly concerned future funding might not be available following an 18-month break.

"We work on our reputation and funders can see we've got a continuous record of receiving grants, delivering the work and then carrying on and getting other grants," she said.

"If we don't have any money in the bank and we can't show anything we've been doing, it's very unlikely we can continue. We're not a good risk for funders."

Claudia Kunze, 63, who has been involved with the charity for 18 years, said the whole process had left her "completely fed-up".

"It's 20 years of something we want to continue. Funding is hard in these times. At the same time, it is an environmental area which is very special," she explained.

"We've won a Yorkshire in Bloom Award, the Green Flag Award, as well as twice awarded the Best Allotment in Sheffield Award."

Fran Belbin, a councillor in Firth Park and a trustee for the charity, described the £6,000 compensation offer by Yorkshire Water as "miserly".

"We recognise we don't want sewage in our water systems, but a flat rate offer to the charity who now can't carry out their charitable purpose is unfair," she said.

"If they can't compensate tenants fairly, how can we have faith they'll reinstate the allotments afterwards?"

While the charity uses three large allotment plots on the site, 15 other plots are rented by private tenants.

Some of those have been offered alternative allotment sites in the city, but for others who live locally that is not an option.

Steve Mettam, 59, has had a plot for over 20 years after attending one of the charity's gardening courses.

He said it helped with his mental health and to "get some exercise".

"Myself and my family got into it so much that we bought the house next to the site," he said.

"The works will be doubly upsetting to us as not only will we be deprived of our plot, but we will see the destruction from our home every day and have to put up with construction noise and site traffic."

In a statement, a Yorkshire Water spokesperson said: "Temporarily moving the allotment tenants is not an easy decision to take.

"We've been working closely with Sheffield Council, Friends of Firth Park community charity and allotment tenants since October to support them with assistance and funding to help move tenants onto temporary pitches at nearby allotment sites for those who want them.

"We're working together to find safe and suitable storage for equipment and garden tools for those tenants who have decided not to move, so that it can be safely returned to their allotment plot once the work is completed.

"While we appreciate this is hugely inconvenient for tenants, of the several options considered, Bushes Allotment at Vickers Road was identified as the location that would create the lowest level of disruption for the local community during construction.

"Compensation letters are on their way to tenants and our agents are on hand to negotiate any specialist items, by exception, so they can be fairly compensated during the temporary move."

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