Allotments Relocation

Parish Councils have a statutory duty to provide allotments if there is demand for them, and our current allotment site is near the Wonersh Bowls Club on land leased specifically for this purpose.  As part of our risk management planning, we had previously considered alternative locations for the allotments should they need to be moved.  One of these options would be a location within Barnett Hill Fields, given we already own the land.   The potential locations within Barnett Hill Fields were looked at in a little more detail last October 2025, to enable Council to understand the impact it would have on any future plans within the fields.  There was no decision making on the allotments future as part of this process – it was purely an information-gathering exercise.

We have now received notice from the allotments’ landowner, with the site expected to be handed back by 2030.   We are really grateful to the landowner for giving us a longer notice period than required, as it enables us to plan the move in a considered way, ideally without a break in allotment provision.  At our meeting last Thursday 15 October 2026, we agreed to set up a working party to address the options for allotment relocation.  The working party will be considering all possible locations, not just within Barnett Hill Fields, and will be considering issues such as access, impact on neighbours, sunlight and soil fertility, cost etc.  The working party will aim to have a recommendation for Council to review at the January meeting, provided the information required can be gathered in time.   The Council also agreed to join the National Allotment Association to allow Council Officers better access to advice and examples of best practice.  We felt this was particularly important given the legal complexities around Parish Council provision of allotments.

Whilst this work is underway, it is necessary to put a temporary pause on the planting of the community orchard in Barnett Hill Fields.  This allows the location of the allotments and the orchard to be fully considered together, as one project may impact on the other and this now needs to be explored to wholly understand the best location for each.   The working party have already taken steps to start to gather more information and will feedback as soon as they are able in order for the orchard project to proceed at the earliest opportunity.

We understand that this move may cause uncertainty and anxiety amongst both current allotment holders, orchard volunteers and other residents.  We want to reassure our community that we will take all views into consideration when we get to the decision making stage of this process.  Once all potential locations are identified, we can consult further with the community and, as always, all our Council meetings are public, with agendas published at least three clear working days in advance both here on our website and on our noticeboards in all our three villages.  We are currently exploring ways we can give people the option to receive agendas direct to their inbox via our mailing list, to maximise community awareness of Council discussions taking place.