Save Farm Terrace Allotments in Watford

[Zardoz]

Welcome to Farm Terrace Allotments Website.
http://www.farmterrace.btck.co.uk/

We are fighting to save our beautiful allotments from becoming just another housing estate!

The people of Farm Terrace - in their own words - watch the video
http://www.watfordlabour.org.uk/save-farm-terrace.html

A Brief History
Farm Terrace allotments has been in existence since 1896.  
 Unfortunately we are under threat of closure by the council to be replaced by 60 houses, a loss of a huge amount of open space in an already over populated area of Watford. 
 Our fight has only just begun. The Mayor and Council have to first send an application to change the use of land to the Secretary of State. We intend to defend Farm Terrace every step of the way.

We do not believe that sufficient consideration has been given to the historic and
 cultural legacy of the Farm Terrace site. It is significantly old, and predates
 the Allotment Act of 1911. It was allocated from local farm land for the
 burgeoning working class population. It was started at the same time as the
 vast majority of housing stock of Victorian Terraces in the West Watford area,
 a significant portion have themselves become Conservation areas. Farm Terrace
 is inextricably linked to the history of this area of Watford, and to such
 sites which the Council have already deemed worthy of conservation. It was
 formed as an original part of the Victorian town planning for this area..

 The
 proposal of replacement plots at the site in Oxhey is not a feasible or fair
 replacement. The actual walking distance from the current site in excess of two
 miles. Several plot holders have young families and can currently walk to and
 enjoy the allotment in minutes. Others cycle to Farm Terrace and older people
 are still near enough to walk. If they have to travel to the new site such a
 journey would more likely require car transportation, which is clearly a poor
 planning decision.

 Arguments have been put forward that Allotments are
 private land, and that the land should be opened up for access and benefit to
 more people. This is a misunderstanding of the Allotment movement. The whole
 ethos of the British allotment model is that all people are free to apply for
 them, and in fact, Council's are under a duty to provide them. Allotments are
 not "private", they are a profoundly social, and emancipatory
 resource.

 The proposed Health Campus
 development includes the building of in excess of 500 homes without the
 inclusion of Farm Terrace. We are in no way opposed to this in principle but
 are aware that some are very likely to very small or no gardens at all.
 Including Farm Terrace would provide only 50 more houses – an insignificant
 number in the overall scheme – but would deprive the wider and new community of
 the means the grow their own vegetables and fruit if they should so wish.

 Visit our News Page for up to date information on our campaign to save our allotments from closure.To contact us send an e-mail in the Contact Us page. 

 To support us click here on e-petition at 
http://38degrees.uservoice.com/forums/78585