The parish rents out a total of 70 allotments. These vary in price from £20 to £25 per year and measure approximately 750 sq ft.

Please contact the Clerk  for current allotment availability or to arrange a site visit for tenancy. There is also an allotment group, which discusses points of interest and also has plans for seed/plant swaps and community activities.

Allotment queries should be directed to the Parish Clerk in the first instance:-

Irene Healiss

clerk@newboroughandboroughfen-pc.gov.uk Tel:- 07388 584591

Newborough Allotment

Please find the allotment terms and conditions below, adopted by Newborough and Borough Fen Parish Council in September 2020.

Newborough & Borough Fen Parish Council

Allotments

Terms & Conditions of Tenancy

(Adopted 8th September 2020)

The Tenant shall comply with the following Terms and Conditions: –

1 Rent

    1. The Tenant shall pay the rent reserved without deduction otherwise than allowed by the statute on the due date(s) in each year.

1.2 The Council reserves the right to vary the yearly rent to take effect on the 1st October in each year [upon giving one month’s notice by way of posting a Notice on the Allotment Site Notice Board of such variation].

2 Use of the Allotments

2.1 The allotment must be used by the Tenant and his family only and wholly or mainly for the production of vegetables, flowers and fruit crops for consumption by himself or his family.

2.2 The Tenant shall keep the allotment clean, free from weeds and in a good state of cultivation and fertility and in good condition.

2.3 The Tenant shall clear and work 25% of the allotment within 3 months and 75% of the allotment within 1 year of the start of the tenancy.

2.4 The allotment is not to be used for any form of business or trade whatsoever.

2.5 The Tenant shall not cause any nuisance, annoyance or inconvenience to the occupier of any other allotment or to any other local residents or obstruct any path provided by the Council for use of the occupiers of the allotments.

2.6 The Tenant must not extend the boundaries of their plot and ensure the grass pathways remain 5’ wide to ensure that maintenance equipment can pass.

2.7 No poultry, birds, insects, or animals of any description shall be kept on the allotment without prior written approval of the Council. If parish council consent is given to keep animals and/ or bees, the Tenant has the right to build a hive or shelter to accommodate hens, bees and/or rabbits, but such buildings are to be constructed to a reasonable size and to the satisfaction of the parish council. To limit vermin, every building should be constructed on a paving slab base.

2.8 The Tenant shall not without the written consent of the Council cut or prune any timber or other trees or take, sell, or carry away any mineral, gravel, sand or clay.

2.9 The Tenant shall not without written consent of the Parish Council erect any buildings on the allotment. Consent will not be withheld however to the construction, to the reasonable satisfaction of the Council, of:

(a) a shed for keeping garden tools and incidental gardening materials (Max size 2.4m x 1.8m)

(b) a greenhouse or poly-tunnel for the growing of fruits/vegetables/flowers. (Max size 3.6m x 2.4m)

2.10 All buildings must be sited no closer than 1 metre from the allotment boundary.

2.11 All sheds and greenhouses must have a water butt attached for the collection of rainwater.

2.12 The Tenant shall not use the allotment or any building erected on it for the storage of motor cars or motor cycles or any motoring accessories or for the storage or use of any other machinery not primarily intended for use for gardening purposes.

2.13 Flammable liquids such as petrol, paraffin and diesel must be stored off site.

2.14 You must not plant a new hedge or build a new fence without our written consent. Hedges must be kept trimmed. No fence or hedge to exceed more than 1 metre tall. Temporary erection of wind break material is permitted during the growing season, no more than 1m in height.

2.15 Any existing structures such as sheds/fences which do not adhere to these updated regulations will be inspected by the Parish Council within one month of its issue to assess individual cases. Tenants who are required to take action due to obstruction or nuisance, will be notified in writing and be expected to move such structures within the requested timescale.

2.16 The Tenant shall not use barbed wire or similar for a fence adjoining any path provided by the Parish Council for the use of occupiers of the allotment.

2.17 The Tenant shall not deposit any rubbish or other waste material on any path roadway or access way of the allotment site or in a ditch or at the bottom of a hedge on or bounding such site, or bring any rubbish or waste material on to site from another location.

2.18 Organic materials such as manure and compost are encouraged to assist the water retention properties of the soil.

2.19 Hose pipes may only be used whilst attended. Sprinklers and other unmanned devices fed by a hose must not be used. Water devices such as a leaky pipe system are permitted, provided they are connected to a water butt or tank used for the collection of rainwater. They are not to be connected to the main water supply by any means or use tap water to fill up water butts or tanks. Water on the site is subsidised by the Parish Council and is divided equally amongst all tenants, based on the size of each plot. This is then incorporated into the allotment rent. Water usage is reviewed yearly, so Tenants are encouraged to harvest rainwater and use tap water used sparingly.

Hose pipe bans may be enforced at short notice.

3 Chemicals

To control pests, diseases or vegetation you may only use products usually available from garden or horticultural suppliers. The Tenant must take all reasonable care when using sprays fertilisers or chemicals on or near the allotment garden:-

3.1 To ensure that adjoining hedges, trees and crops of other tenants or the Parish Council are not affected and must make good or replant as necessary should any damage occur and

3.2 So far as possible to select and use chemicals for whatever purpose that will cause the least harm to humans or wildlife and

    1. Comply at all times with all current regulations as to the use and storage of such chemicals or fertilisers.

4 Access & Security

4.1 The Tenant shall permit any member or officer of the Council at any time to enter upon and inspect the allotment.

4.2 The Tenant shall not sub-rent or part with the possession of the allotment or any part of it.

4.3 Motor vehicles are only to be taken to the allotment if access allows for loading and unloading of tools or crops and should be parked in the designated area at all other times.

4.4 Motor vehicles are not to be left on tracks or paths as to cause a nuisance, annoyance or inconvenience to any other occupiers of the allotment.

4.5 Dogs must be kept on a lead and any faeces removed from the site.

5 Termination & Notices

5.1 The Parish Council has the right to terminate this agreement in accordance with the Allotment Acts 1908 – 1950 as amended.

5.2 The Parish Council in addition has the right to terminate this agreement in the event of any default on the part of the Tenant in observing the above items and conditions except in the case only of the Tenant’s failure to pay the rent due such right to terminate shall not be exercisable unless the rent remains due and unpaid for a period of 40 days after its due date.

5.3 Any notice may be served on the Tenant either personally or by leaving it at his last known place of abode or by letter sent by recorded delivery addressed to him there or by affixing the same in some conspicuous manner on the allotment garden.

5.4 Any Notice must be served on the Parish Council in writing by letter or email to the Parish Council Clerk.

5.5 Where the Tenant surrenders the allotment tenancy during any year in which the Tenant has paid rent there shall not be a refund in respect of that period of the Tenancy surrendered. In the event of payment not having been made at the date of surrender rent shall be due to the Parish Council for the whole of the relevant allotment year.

5.6 At the end of a tenancy, the Tenant must remove any structure they have put up, including a water butt. However, if the Parish Council are notified in advance that a structure or water butt is re-usable and permission is given, these may be left at the plot. The allotment must then be left tidy and to the satisfaction of the Council.

5.7 The Parish Council will carry out regular inspections on all allotments to ensure that regulations are adhered to.

6 Bonfires

6.1 You may only burn materials in a professionally made steel incinerator or as a bonfire provided there is a non-combustible barrier between the fire and the ground to prevent the soil from burning. (Pitting)

(a) You may light a bonfire but only to burn materials from your allotment. The only materials you can put on a bonfire are diseased plants and dried-out organic material that will burn without smoke or hazardous residue. You must never burn plastics, rubber or treated wood.

(b) Bonfires must not be lit at weekends or Bank Holidays and must be kept to a minimum.

(c) You must always be present while a bonfire is alight. Bonfires must not cause a nuisance to residents nearby. You must fully extinguish the bonfire before you leave the allotment, and quench hot and smouldering ashes with water before leaving the plot. Tenants should ensure that there is water available nearby before lighting a bonfire.

(d) Bonfire smoke is a carcinogenic – therefore bonfires may only be lit when the wind will likely take the smoke away from the village. Should the wind change after lighting and be likely to cause nuisance or risk to the residents of the village or other allotment tenants, it must be extinguished.

(Failure to adhere to bonfire rules will result in termination of tenancy without refund or allowances.)

Tenants should be aware that peaty soil is flammable, and is sufficient heat it applied, will burn. It is extremely difficult to extinguish and normally results in fire brigade attendance. Should this happen the Parish Council will be notified, and a subsequent review conducted.

7 Trees and Bushes

7.1 Except with our written consent, you must not plant trees other than dwarf fruiting trees and other fruiting bushes which must not make up more than 25% of the cultivation of a plot. Fruit trees must not be planted along the boundaries of your allotment. Fallen fruit must be collected in a timely manner as rotting fruit can attract vermin.

8 Legal Obligations

8.1 The Tenant shall as regards to the allotment, observe and perform any other conditions which the Parish Council may reasonably consider it necessary to lay down.

8.2 The Tenant must at all times during the tenancy observe and comply fully with all enactments, statutory instruments, local parochial or other byelaws, orders or regulations affecting the allotment.

Safety advice

  • Always ensure someone knows you are going to the allotment, and if you have a mobile phone please carry it with you.
  • Plot-holders should ensure that their plot and associated accesses are free from hazard: hazards may include sharp edges, exposed nails, improperly stored tools, hazards hidden within undergrowth such as discarded tools, improperly stored dangerous materials.
  • Plot-holders must acquaint themselves with, and adhere strictly to, the guidelines regarding storage, usage and disposal of hazardous materials such as glass, pesticides, fertilisers etc.
  • Plot-holders should acquaint themselves with the safe use, and storage, of tools, particularly power tools. And where necessary wear suitable personal protective equipment.
  • Plot-holders should report vandalism or other evidence of intruders to the Parish Clerk and if necessary, to the police.
  • Plot-holders should ensure that they park responsibly to prevent obstruction of the highway and nuisance to the neighbours.
  • In the event of an emergency dial 999