Lincoln’s new allotments officer, Helen Stanton, talks about the city’s allotments, their history and her role today
Allotments have been a part of life in Lincoln for many years. The earliest recorded allotments are believed to be those on the Yarborough Crescent site, which was laid out in 1884. This site is still in existence and popular today.
The most recently created allotments are at the Melbourne Road site, which were established during the Covid19 pandemic.
The City of Lincoln Council maintain 17 allotment sites across the city, including one just over its boundary at Canwick Hill. 15 of these sites are owned by the Council, one is on leased land, and one is on common land. 15 are statutory allotment sites.
All allotments are special places, but the designation given to statutory allotment sites means they are heavily protected, particularly by the 1925 Allotment Act.
There are just under 1200 plots across these sites, with the Long Leys Road site being the largest (with around 200 plots) and the Kingsway site the smallest (with just 11 plots).
The City of Lincoln Council are responsible for the maintenance of all the sites, through our contractors.
We are fortunate to have some proactive associations, committees and individuals on our allotments, who we try to work closely with, to understand the individual needs of the unique sites we have.
Both the North Lincoln Horticultural Society, based at the Clarence Street A site, and the Boultham Allotment and Garden Holders Association at the Boultham Glebe site have well stocked shops. These shops are open for their members to benefit from the highly competitive pricing, and expert advice available. Membership is available to all, whether you have an allotment or not, and further details can be found on their Facebook pages. Events are also put on throughout the year.
Presently there is strong demand for allotments, with people waiting for plots at all of the sites. To tackle this, we are working hard to bring back into use plots that haven’t been used for many years and have fallen into poor, unusable condition. We are also creating additional plots by dividing larger ones, which in today’s world are generally far bigger than a tenant wants or needs.
Although the primary use for an allotment is to grow produce, we understand they also offer so much more too, from an outdoor space that many residents don’t have at home, to a place to restore mental wellbeing. Some of our plots are run by charities and organisations that bring gardening and its many benefits into the lives of those who otherwise would not experience it.
I spend a lot of time out on the sites across the city and as a keen gardener I often take inspiration from some of the truly impressive plots I see, both formal and informal.
The considerable amount of wildlife I see whilst out and about often surprises me, but is great to see as it connects the urban setting with the countryside. Of course wildlife doesn’t respect borders and boundaries thank goodness, but I’m afraid we have to. So given the high demand we have for plots, Council policy is to prioritise availability for residents of the city just now.
I’m fortunate to have a garden space at home. I grow lots of fruit, which I freeze to use in my morning smoothies throughout the year, if I can pick it before my children or labradors get there first! I also grow vegetables and flowers to enjoy as well as benefitting our pollinators.
Apply for a Lincoln allotment: lincoln.gov.uk/allotments
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