It has been a long, complicated and occasionally divisive process but it now looks as though the South Undercliff and Love Lane allotments have finally secured a long-term future.
The fight for local control goes back to the local government reorganisation 1972-74 – when Rother District Council (RDC) succeeded Rye Borough Council and ended up with the allotments – which, arguably, should have been passed to the newly-created Rye Town Council (RTC) as the proper allotments authority.
RTC spent decades trying to wrest the freeholds of the sites from RDC, who argued that they were not statutory and they were holding them ‘temporarily’ under the Local Government Act 1972. RTC eventually sought counsel’s opinion – which was favourable – but backed off litigation because of the cost and also the assumption that local tax payers would take a dim view of one public body incurring costs taking action against another.
After disagreement between Rye and Rother on offers of long leases on the allotments. a number of town councillors at the time formed the Rye Amenity CIC to run both sites on RDC’s behalf – in order to ensure there was at least some local control.
This arrangement ran into some management difficulties and in November 2023 Rother District Council took the allotments back under their control from Rye Amenity CIC. The plan was to transfer the freehold to Rye Town Council and establish a new management structure … yet another example of devolution of local responsibility from Rother to Rye. A six-month process of consultation resulted in a recommendation for future allotment management, which was debated in a rather divisive Rye Town Council meeting in January 2024.
Further discussion was clearly required and a revised proposal involving a cooperative management structure (the allotment forum) was finally approved in May 2024. The forum has equal participation between councillors (5) and allotment representatives (4) and the community garden (1) – with a formally agreed division of responsibilities between the allotments and the town council.
It may have been a long and, at times, rather painful process but since then the management of the allotments has progressed very positively and plot holders can now focus on growing rather than politics! It is also yet another example of where Rye needs to find ways of taking control of community assets and, through a partnership between the council and volunteers, maintain and develop key local assets.
As well as the social benefits of likeminded people enjoying each others company, allotments have a vital role in connecting holders to the process of food production. This enables them to grow fresh, cheap food, whilst reducing food miles. They also help to improve the environment, can support new plant development and preserve rare and unique varieties. Crucially, allotments are also well-known to have both physical and mental health benefits to people of all ages.
Rye News readers may be interested to know that there are a number of allotments available at both sites, if you are interested please complete an enquiry form
or call the town hall on 01797 223902.
Image Credits: Peter Connock .