ALLY PALLY ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

TENANTS’ HANDBOOK

Updated July 2023

 

Haringey Council will have given you a copy of its allotments tenancy agreement, which clearly sets out tenants’ responsibilities. This handbook describes some additional local rules for the site but also reinforces some of the council’s rules.

 

CONTENTS

Introduction

1 Bees & chickens

2 Bonfires

3 BBQ and picnic parties

4 Tenancy and co-workers

5 Health and safety

6 Maintenance of plot perimeters

7 Parking

8 Pesticide use on allotments

9 Petrol driven power tools

10 Plot inspections

11 Rubbish management

12 Site security

13 Toilets

14 Trees

15 Watering

16 Wildlife

17 Alterations to your plot

 

Please contact the Site Secretary (Alison Liney) for further advice on any matter affecting you and your allotment plot.

Tel: 07773 235713 or 020 8883 8054 email:<sitesecretary@btinternet.com>

 

Introduction

Welcome to the Alexandra Palace Allotments site, a statutory allotment site enjoying a degree of protection from any application to the Secretary of State for change of use. Our allotments were set up in 1917 on land owned by the Alexandra Palace Trust, giving local people space to grow their own fruit and vegetables. The whole site has three named parts: Grove Lodge Meadows (across the top of the site), the Nursery (alongside the garden centre car park) and Alexandra Park (on both sides of the site roadway).

 

Day to day management of the allotment site is administered by a volunteer Site Secretary supported by a management committee elected from members of the Ally Pally Allotments Association (APAA). All plot tenants automatically become members of the Association, which promotes and protects their interests as allotment gardeners and takes joint action for the benefit of all members.

 

APAA Allotments Shop
Plot-holders at Ally Pally are encouraged to pay an annual Allotments Shop subscription of £2, due in January of each year. This entitles them to buy a range of gardening supplies from the Allotments Shop at prices generally much lower than any commercial source, including seeds and seasonal items such as seed potatoes, onion and shallot sets.

 

1 Bees and Chickens

1.1 Bees and chickens may only be kept on the allotment site with the permission of the Council and the APAA. See the Site Secretary for further details.

 

2 Bonfires

2.1 Bonfires are not allowed between 1 April and 30 September and should never be lit on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

2.2 Bonfires may only be lit where they cause no nuisance to any neighbour, tenant or otherwise. If you are asked to extinguish a nuisance bonfire by a neighbour, tenant or otherwise, you must do so immediately.

2.3 A bonfire should never be left unattended; make sure that when leaving the plot the fire is completely extinguished.

2.4 A smoky bonfire which causes a nuisance to neighbours and local residents will be in contravention of the allotment agreement and could result in the loss of your tenancy.

 

3 BBQ and picnic parties

3.1 Every tenant has the overriding right to the peaceful enjoyment of their allotment plot at all times, free from noise, nuisance and smoke.

3.2 That being said, you may have an occasional BBQ or picnic on your plot for a small group of family and friends (including children) provided that you consider your neighbours and do not spoil their enjoyment of their plot.

Single use, disposable barbecues are not allowed, because of the detrimental impact they have on the environment and wildlife.
Do not cause a nuisance to neighbouring tenants and households through smoke, noise, trespass or theft.
Tenants should escort their guests to and from the entrance gates. Site gates should be kept locked at all times.
A tenant hosting a party is responsible for the health & safety of all guests when they are on the allotment site, whatever the lighting and weather conditions.
Do not use barbecues inside sheds and other structures. Only charcoal is to be used as a fuel on a BBQ between 1 April and 30 September.
Guests should not be allowed to wander around the site unescorted or enter onto any other allotment plot, including vacant plots.
Children should be supervised at all times and should not be allowed to run around the allotment site or enter onto any other allotment plot, including vacant plots.
An evaporating toilet is available on the site, which you and your guests are expected to use when required.
All BBQ or picnic rubbish is to be removed from the allotment site and disposed of at home immediately after the event.

 

4 Tenancy and co-workers

4.1 Co-workers will be allowed only in exceptional circumstances, due to a tenant’s age, disability, injury or illness or other exceptional personal circumstance and with the agreement of the local Site Association. The registered tenant of an allotment plot may be permitted a maximum of two co-workers to assist in maintaining their plot, for a specified period.

4.2 All tenants should continue to attend frequently. Leaving most or all of a plot to be worked by co-workers or other persons constitutes ‘occupation’ of the plot and is forbidden by the terms of the tenancy agreement.

 

5 Health and safety

5.1 Tenants are responsible not only for their own safety but also for the safety of anyone visiting their plot, whether invited or not.

5.2 The Association will accept no liability in respect of any claim whatsoever arising from personal injury to the tenant or any third party which occurs on the site. An exception is tenants helping on APAA work parties.

5.3 It is recommended that the tops of garden canes should have a cap or plastic bottle to protect you from a cane poking your face or an eye when bending down.

5.4 Items with sharp-edges (e.g. metal fencing and spikes) should not be used alongside paths.

5.5 Ensure that path edges alongside your plot are safe and clearly visible (not obscured by grass, for example), and that there are no trip hazards.

5.6 Stoves using cylinders of gas above 1kg may not be used in sheds.

 

6 Maintenance of plot perimeters

6.1 Tenants must maintain all common footpaths immediately bordering their plot. These should be kept clear and accessible at all times. Any grass on paths must be kept short.

6.2 Tenants with plots bordering the Top Path or the site roadway must control the plot edge alongside these rights of way, removing any gardening wastes.

6.3 Maintenance of the site boundaries is the responsibility of the Council and the APAA, including the fences side of the Top Path.

6.4 No items or materials should be leaned against boundary fences, in order to prevent damage and permit inspection or repair.

6.5 In order to allow access for delivery vehicles, especially deliveries of stock to the Allotments Shop, tenants with plots alongside the site road must ensure that their plot is kept free of any obstacle (hedge, shed, steps, stored equipment, etc.) within 50 cm of the site road. Tenants with plots immediately below the site road must not damage existing retaining walls or cultivate within a metre of the roadside. This is to ensure that the road is properly supported and its edge does not collapse.

 

7 Parking

7.1 By concession, you are allowed to park your motor vehicle in the car park at the top of the site, except when association events are taking place in that area (e.g. café on first Sunday of every month, the AGM, or the annual Plant Sale). Priority is given to members with severe personal mobility problems. Public parking is generally available at The Grove car park in Alexandra Park.

7.2 Motor vehicles should not be parked in a manner that is likely to cause an obstruction to other users including pedestrians, wood chip and compost deliveries, or deliveries to the Trading Shed.

7.3 It should be necessary to bring your motor vehicle on site only for the purposes of loading and unloading heavy items.

7.4 You are not allowed to create any new parking space on your allotment garden.

7.5 Pedestrians have right of way at all times and motor vehicles are restricted to a 5 mph speed limit whilst on the allotment site.

 

8 Pesticide use on allotments

8.1 Haringey Council, the Haringey Allotment Forum and the APAA are committed to minimising the use of pesticides including weedkillers, insecticides, fungicide sprays and animal repellents and actively encourage good environmental and sustainable practices including the use of organic alternatives.

8.2 Pesticides and other chemicals may only be used on the allotment site that are of the same formulation and concentration as those that can be purchased for use by amateur gardeners, from the Allotments Shop, garden centres, DIY stores or supermarkets.

8.3 Do not buy pesticides from the internet or when abroad until you have checked the HSE website to see that they are legal to use in the UK by amateur gardeners.

8.4 Tenants are responsible for ensuring that any pesticides, herbicides or chemicals are stored safely and securely and are used in an appropriate manner so as not to cause any adverse effects to the public, wildlife or neighbouring plots.

 

9 Petrol-driven power tools

9.1 Petrol-driven power tools such as strimmers, mowers and cultivators create a noise nuisance. They may never be used before 8am or after 8pm. On Sundays and Bank Holidays they may not be used before 10am or after 1pm. Period of use on Sundays and Bank Holidays - one hour maximum.

 

10 Plot Inspections

10.1 The Council’s Allotment Officer inspects allotment gardens twice a year, generally in April and September to check that tenants are fully complying with the terms and conditions of the Tenancy Agreement. Plots should show signs of recent gardening activity appropriate to the season.

 

11 Rubbish Management

11.1 You are responsible for the removal of all non-compostable, non-recyclable and non-burnable rubbish for disposal off the allotment site.

11.2 Do not bring items onto the allotment site which do not degrade naturally such as glass, plastic waste, synthetic carpets etc.

11.3 Checking plots for unreasonable accumulation of rubbish that is not biodegradable is part of the Council's plot inspection cycle.

 

12 Site security

12.1 Always lock gates to the site immediately after you pass through - do not leave gates open while you park a vehicle, nor leave any gate unlocked for a visitor.

12.2 If you feel safe, challenge people who are seeking entry but do not have a key and who you do not recognise. Report any such incident to the Site Secretary.

12.3 Anyone entering the allotment site should be officially authorised to do so. If you ask a friend to look after your plot during your absence please inform the Site Secretary.

 

13 Toilet Facilities

13.1 There is an evaporating toilet on site, situated at the rear of plot AP29A. Please ensure that you and any guests always leave the toilet bowl clean after use.

13.2 Constructing a toilet of any description on your allotment garden will result in the immediate termination of your tenancy.

 

14 Trees

14.1 You are allowed to plant fruit trees on your allotment garden. However, new fruit trees should be on dwarf rootstock restricting the height of the tree to 3m maximum and should not be planted where they will shade any neighbouring plot.

14.2 You are not allowed to prune, cut, trim or otherwise damage the mature old field boundary trees or hedgerows. Any nuisance tree located there should be reported to the Site Secretary.

 

15 Watering

15.1 It is important to do all that you can to help conserve water and reduce water consumption on the allotment site. The water supply is metered and the cost of the water used is included in the annual allotment charge.

15.2 If you have a shed or greenhouse, consider collecting water from its roof. Soft rainwater is better for plants than treated mains hard water. Cover the water butt to avoid algae growth.

15.3 Tenant must use the site water supply with due attention to the needs of others. Hosepipes, if used, must be hand-held except when they are used to fill a tenant's water butt or pond. Stand-alone sprinklers are not allowed.

 

16 Wildlife

16.1 It is recommended that all ponds have a sloping edge that will allow any animal that falls in to get out.

16.2 It is recommended that all tanks or barrels of water are covered to prevent birds or animals falling in, or place a plank between the surface of the water and the side of the tank.

16.3 The edges of our site and some other places that are not part of any plot provide important habitats and food sources for wildlife. If your plot is at an edge of the site with a boundary hedge, the appropriate management should be agreed with the Site Secretary.

 

16.4 If you're thinking of creating a small pond on your designated plot, get in touch with the Site Secretary to discuss it before starting work. See pond guidelines in Appendix 1.

 

17 Alterations to your plot

17.1 Any structural work on your plot should be discussed in advance with the Site Secretary,whose permission is required for work to proceed. This includes e.g. terracing the soil on slopes, erecting a shed or greenhouse, planting a new boundary hedge or substantially reducing the height of an existing boundary hedge, or erecting a wall or trellis on a plot boundary. Structural work should also be discussed in advance with any plot neighbour who may be affected.

17.2 If any tenant contracts for a company or person to work on their plot, full responsibility for the work done remains with the plot tenant. Contracted work must not require access to a neighbour's plot unless that neighbour gives written permission first.

17.3 If you wish to move to another plot contact the site secretary who will consult the site committee as to the suitability of such a move.

 

Appendix 1

1 If you're thinking of creating a small pond on your designated plot, get in touch with the Site Secretary to discuss it before starting work.

2 Ponds are not allowed along the back of Grove Lodge Meadow, under the row of oak trees. Here the ancient hedgerow area beside the common path may only be used to build sheds and compost green waste.

3 The main concerns when making a pond are its safety, depth, size and hedgehogs.

Safety - not close to paths, and think about wandering small children.
Depth - "Froglife" say 10 cm (4 inches) is deep enough for frogs. The RHS say that it doesn't particularly matter if a pond dries down to sludge in summer like many natural ponds.
Size - it doesn't need to be big - even a washing up bowl size pond will provide some water habitat.
Hedgehogs - we're proud to have a good population in some years - almost unique in London. Unfortunately, they do fall into ponds, so provide shallow edges or an escape route like a piece of wood.

4 The plot won't always be yours. You'll get more than enough depth by digging down 15cm (6 inches) and heaping the spoil around the edge. DO NOT dig up the sub-soil clag, because spreading this around your plot spoils the soil for both you and future plot-holders. If you keep the top soil heaped around your pond, then a future plot-holder who doesn't want a pond can simply push the soil back to where it was.

 

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