Allotment land could help build more homes

Allotment land could help build more homes

0:01 AM, 15th June 2023, About 11 months ago 13

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England’s allotments could provide space for 200,000 new homes, according to new research.

Figures from development site sourcing specialists Searchland reveals there is an estimated 44.4m square metres of allotment space in England.

This would be enough to build 200,000 new homes with a market value of £84bn.

Desperately need to build more homes

Co-founder and chief executive officer of Searchland, Mitchell Fasanya, said: “Allotments can play a vital role in the community, providing outdoor space for many to socialise who may not otherwise have the chance, particularly in major urban hubs.

“We’re certainly not suggesting that the answer to the housing crisis is to cement over the nation’s allotments.

“However, we do desperately need to build more homes and it’s a conversation we want to ignite, as so far the government has largely neglected to address this burning issue.”

London ranks as the nation’s allotment housing hotspot

According to research, London ranks as the nation’s allotment housing hotspot with 720 allotment sites spread across 7m of land.

This would deliver 31,622 new homes to market with an estimated market value of £18.4bn.

Allotment land could be utilised to deliver 12,780 new homes across Tyne and Wear with a market value of £3.8bn, while 11,726 could be built across the West Midlands with a similar market value.

Other areas to rank within the top 10 include Greater Manchester (10,848), County Durham (9,091), West Yorkshire (7,466), Hertfordshire (7,378), Essex (6,017), Devon (5,578) and Kent (5,358).

Mr Fasanya says the government needs to deliver homes on the green belt.

He says: “Utilising allotments is a drastic measure and one we needn’t ever consider should the government stop bending to the pressures of NIMBYism and the subject of building on the green belt to deliver homes on land that is more than for purpose.”


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Comments

Ann Hope

13:12 PM, 2nd July 2023, About 11 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Judith Wordsworth at 15/06/2023 - 09:43
I live in central London. Less thann10 metres away are 2 buildings being knocked down and rebuilt for office use. 20 metres away is a 1.4acre site also being converted to office use.
Why are these spaces not being developed for residential occupation? Because the local council make a lot of money out of this development and not from residential.
I also have an allotment (or space to grow produce 10 x 2.5m). I would be exceedingly cross if Southwark decided it was building land!

Freda Blogs

14:21 PM, 3rd July 2023, About 11 months ago

I'm not 100% sure, but I believe that many or most allotments have a special legal designation and it would not be easy to remove that to hand over for development even if were desirable or agreed upon. I also vaguely recall that local authorities have a statutory requirement to provide allotments.

This all makes sense, as without any impediments to sale, councils would be selling them off fast to raise a few quid if they could...

If I am correct, wouldn't you think that "development site sourcing specialists Searchland" should have done their homework on the proposal before 'igniting the conversation'?

M&SFAN

15:22 PM, 3rd July 2023, About 11 months ago

This is a terrible idea. Where I live there are loads of empty flats. They have literally never been lived in because they're used by so-called "investors" who want somewhere to park their laundered money where their own governments can't find it. (Don't think that the government got rid of them all - only some of the Russian ones. ) I want to see this tackled, and all the empty houses in Britain fillled, before anyone starts taking away from poor people even what they have in the shape of their allotments to save money, socialise and get close to nature. I think the company who did this so called research is just chucking the idea out into the arena, because if it works they will be able to make more dosh by grabbing more public land.

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