LITTLEHAMPTON ALLOTMENT  & LEISURE GARDENS ASSOCIATION

Affiliated to the Royal Horticultural Society and the National Society of Allotment

   and Leisure Gardeners Ltd.

Council items of Interest

For further details go to Littlehampton Town Council

This gives the Town Council's position on all the topical issues regarding the allotments.

Good News

Littlehampton Town Council Rescinds previous decision on Rents for non-residents.

Relevant minutes from the Community Resources Committee of 10th September are shown below.

20.2 Allotments Working Group 3 September 2009

It was RESOLVED that:

to be subsidised in light of the waiting list of residents in the Town. Despite pressure from LALGA and plot holders, the Committee had not been able to reverse a decision for a period of six months after the resolution. As this time period had now elapsed, the Committee could look at this. A letter received from the Littlehampton Allotments and Leisure Gardens Association was circulated which re-emphasised their belief that it was unfair on non-resident plot holders to have to meet this cost, although reasonable for those who didn’t currently have a plot, who also should not be offered a plot before a Littlehampton resident. It was noted that existing plot holders could be considered to have a contract with the Town Council and that very few would give up plots due to the fee increase. This proposal was seen as a satisfactory compromise. Councillors urged representations to be made to other parishes to look at allotment provision in their patches. It was therefore RESOLVED that:-

For the entire minutes and news on Worthing Road and the possible health Centre - see minute 21.

For Town Council Position re Littlehampton Allotments

Notes of the Meeting on Wednesday 21^st October 2009 with Town Council and LALGA members of the Working Group

Present

Peter Herbert (Town Clerk), Glyn Allen (Chairman LALGA) Alan Humphrey (Secretary LALGA), John Horne and Richard Feist (Committee LALGA).

The purpose of the meeting was to update members of the TC Working Group held on 19^th October 2009.

·        As well as Councillors also present at the meeting on 19^th October were Roger Serginson - Group Development Director of GPI, William Sheardown - Regional Director GPI, Ian Maskell Project Architect - ADM Architects, and Jodie Olliver Business Manager – Arun Medical Group.

·        The GPI (General Practitioner Developments) presentation put forward their ideas and needs. The current site has 3 full time doctors and 4,500 patients; it does not conform to current standards and is already too small for all the other services that they provide.

·        Having looked at other possible sites including the two Body Shop units, land to the north of the Littlehampton School and the Wickbourne Swan site as well as Worthing Road allotments, the allotment site is the preferred one because of reduced costs and it is also nearer to North Littlehampton.

·        The total area required is 0.75 acre and would be acquired on a long term lease of 125 years and be restricted to D1 use (health facility use only).

·        GPI also thought their facility would bring a lot of benefits to the town in general as well as added benefits and security to the allotments.

·        A timescale was also presented at this point. (see copy attached)

The four people above then left the meeting and Councillors then decided their preferred plan of action over a presentation by the Town Clerk Peter Herbert.

·        With 125 people currently on the waiting list and an average wait of 18 months this is thought manageable by TC.

·        As a very rough guide it is thought the land required to be valued at 300k and if the project went ahead the relocation of plots and some fencing would use approximately 40k and another 60k could be ring fenced for use on Wothing Road and spent as plotholders and LALGA saw fit. This would leave 200k to be used or added to other money for Community facilities elsewhere in the town.

·        The original idea to include a Community Centre with this development has not been recommended because of the cost, it would also be too big an impact on the allotments and North Littlehampton could provide something much better.

·        Other ideas are to take on ownership of the Worthing Road recreation ground to provide better play facilities including a MUGA (multi use games area) with the option of additional allotments to the northern end of the site.

·        TC proposes to consult with those directly affected and with LALGA.

·        The timescale given by GPI may slip by a month or two to accommodate further discussions with those affected.

·        The Preferred Option of the TC Working Group is to proceed with a Health Facility only on Worthing Road and to invest the money back into the Town and Allotments.

·        It is thought an Extraordinary Council meeting will take place in late November where the Public Forum will be extended to allow as may views as possible to be put forward. It will be then that the decision to proceed will be taken but only if it is good for the Town, the Allotments and the Town Council.

·        If they decide to go ahead it will still require Government approval and planning permission.

·        If the land valuation comes in low i.e. less than 150k it will not proceed this is key to everything.

North Littlehampton

·        A planning application is expected just before or after Christmas at present the road affecting Mill Lane will not take as many plots as first thought but until any plans are put forward the final position will not be known. The same goes for Worthing Road and we must wait and see what comes in any planning application. Land on the Yoder site could be available for new allotments and this could take displaced Mill Lane plotholders as well as provide additional plots.

For timescales

Nick Gibb MP

Visits Worthing Road Allotments

Our local MP, Nick Gibb, paid a visit to Worthing Road allotments where he was met by the members of the Allotments Committee and  other interested allotment holders. Nick was asked to come along to discuss the two major issues affecting allotments holders at the moment.

1. the holding of the Church Land by Littlehampton Town Council for a Health Centre and the development of North Littlehampton

2. the lack of land to meet the current waiting list,

3. the rise in Allotment rents to members living outside Littlehampton.

Nick listened intently to the concerns of the allotment holders and agreed that action needs to be taken to preserve all allotment land especially with the current Waiting list at with the Town Council. He said he would look into these matters and hopefully arrange a meeting between himself , representatives from the Allotments holders and the Town Council in the hope that these matters can reach a successful conclusion.

To see the proposals for the North Littlehampton development go to the Community Planning website