Allotments
Didcot Town Council has five allotment sites in Didcot, with an approximate total of 439 plots. These sites are located at New Road, Broadway, Wantage Road, Cockcroft Road and Mereland Road. Apart from a few exceptions allotment plots are 15 yards by 10 yards also known as 5 pole. Allotments are a great way to grow your own produce and flowers and is also a fantastic way to exercise. There are a number of rules that have to be adhered to. Bonfires are not permitted on any of the allotment sites and permission must be obtained before erecting a shed. The use of hose pipes is also not permitted on any site.
We currently have a small waiting list on all the sites, though it is worth putting your name down should you want one. To apply for an allotment you will need to complete the short form which you can download as a pdf file here. This form needs to be returned to the Information Centre along with a non-refundable registration fee of £15, cheques should be made payable to Didcot Town Council.
Waiting list as of January 2012
- Broadway 4 people waiting
- Cockcroft Road 3 people waiting
- Mereland Road 1 person waiting
- New Road 8 people waiting
- Wantage Road 4 people waiting
- Any site 2 people waiting
For a more up to date details of the waiting list or if you have any other questions about allotments please contact the Information Centre 01235 812637.
Allotment Charges
There is an annual fee for having an allotment which is due every April. We do not send out bills, but do send reminders if the fee has not been paid by October/November.
The fee for 2011/2012 financial year has been frozen at £22 per plot and £12 concession.
The fee for 2012/2013 financial year will be £23 per plot and £13 concession.
Best Kept Allotments 2011
The Annual Allotment Awards were handed out at the Didcot Town Council Awards Evening. For many this was the culmination of a lot of hard work on their allotments and recognition of excellence.
The winners were judged by the Town Council’s Technical manager, Brenda Andrews, who inspects plots throughout the year. Each site has a best plot winner; there is also an award for the best crops on a plot and an overall winner.
This year the best plot winners were:
- Mr Frederick Barham at New Road
- Mrs Joy Jennings at Mereland Road
- Mrs Delia Hemingway at Cockroft Road
- Mr Dornford Mason at Broadway
- Mr Roger Renmant at Wantage Road
Mr Barham's plot was also judged to be the best overall and Mr Lawrence Anderson won the prize for best crops.
Allotment Site Councillor Representatives
The following are the Council's representatives for each allotment site:
• Broadway - Councillor Mrs Margaret Davies email
• New Road – Councillor Mr Tony Harbour email
• Wantage Road - Councillor Axel Macdonald email
• Cockcroft Road - Councillor Eleanor Hards email
• Mereland Road - Councillor Pete Read email
Further contact details can be found on the Town Councillors page.
Allotment Rules
RULES
The tenant of an allotment garden shall comply with the following conditions in that he/she shall:
• Keep the garden clean, clear of weeds and in a good condition
• NOT cause any nuisance or annoyance to the occupier of any other allotment garden; obstruct divert or reduce the width of any path or use barbed wire fence adjoining any path set out by the Council for the use of the occupiers of the allotment gardens
• NOT UNDERLET, ASSIGN OR PART WITH THE POSSESION OF THE ALLOTMENT GARDEN OR ANY PART NOF IT WITHOUT THE WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE COUNCIL
• NOT, without the written consent of the Council, cut or prune any timber of other trees, except his/her own, or take or carry away any mineral, gravel, sand, soil or clay.
• NOT, without the written consent of the Council, erect any building on the allotment garden. 9Details of the permitted size, materials, etc can be obtained from the Council Office).
• OBSERVE and perform any special conditions which:-
(a) the Council consider necessary to comply with conditions and/or covenants under which the Council hold the land
(b) the Council may consider it necessary to introduce for any other reason
(ALLOTMENT TENANTS WILL BE GIVEN WRITTEN NOTICE WHEN SUCH CONDITIONS ARE INTRODUCED)
• Tenants shall not cause or suffer any dog belonging to them or in their charge to enter or remain on the Allotment site
• No bonfires will be permitted
• No hosepipes will be allowed
• Gates must be locked at all times
• The key must be returned once the plot is given up
• Action will be taken against any person causing malicious damage to Council property
• No dumping on site or importing any garden waste/soil to site
PENALTY
Tenants who do not comply with the Rules or who do not pay their Allotment rent within a period of one month of it becoming due will, after due warning, have their tenancy terminated.
NOTES
RENTS for all sites are due on the 1st April in each financial year, and not later than the 30th September. Please note that no bills will be sent.
Only those tenants notified in writing by the Council and registered in the Council's records will be considered as the proper tenant of any plot.
Tenants wishing to give up the tenancy of their allotment should notify the Council in writing at the Didcot Town Council Offices.
These rules and notes supercede all previous rules issued by Didcot Town Council.
Town Clerk
March 2006
Home Composting
For information on home composting please go to the Information Centre page.