Gardeners told they'll be losing plots for Stratford Cemetery extension
GARDENERS look set to lose their plots near Stratford Cemetery at the end of the year as extra burial space is needed.
As reported earlier this year by the Herald, the plots at Bordon Place are used as allotments, but the ownership of the land will pass from Stratford District Council to Stratford Town Council which will use the area to extend the cemetery.
The news will come as a bitter blow to residents living nearby who rented the plots of land from the district council for around £150 a year.
But now their fruit and vegetable growing is coming to an end, with some licences expected to be terminated in the run-up to the new year.
A spokesperson for Stratford Town Council said: “The town council has a preliminary agreement in place with the district council to purchase the land. By entering into this agreement the town council is confirming that the use of the land, on completion, will be as a cemetery. The district council are not an allotment authority and as such they are not allotments but garden plots.
“The town council are considering the options available to us in the interim period following ownership of the land and when we would start to develop the site.”
The garden plot holders had been opposed to the land sale which was first proposed in January.
Last week some of the group met with Stratford MP Nadhim Zahawi at his surgery to air their concerns. As a result of that meeting Mr Zahawi’s office is understood to be contacting both councils inviting them to clarify the situation.
Andy Abercrombie, who describes himself as an allotment holder, is critical of the decision to sell the land for additional burial space.
“The councils are riding roughshod over allotment holders,” he said. “I renewed my licence in April for another 12 months so it should run until 31st March next year, but I’ve been informed it expires on 31st December and I’m not sure I will get a refund.
“The district council is turning a blind eye to its own Neighbourhood Development Plan established under the Localism Act with the aim to give local people more say about their towns and where they live. The allotment space is green space, is good for the climate, allows us to grow fruit and vegetables, and helps people unwind with nature.”
He added that the Stratford area has approximately 180 allotment plots at four different sites – Shottery, Tiddington and Alveston, Bordon Place and Park Road – but selling off Bordon Place would contradict the Neighbourhood Plan’s policy “to encourage the provision of new and protection of existing allotments within the Neighbourhood Area”.
Another complaint levelled at the district council by the garden plot holders has been the lack of communication and consultation throughout the whole process, which one licence holder described as “shambolic”.
The district council told the Herald: “Contracts have been exchanged in this matter.
“As soon as the district council was aware that the land transfer was likely to take place, a notice was placed on the sites advising the plot holders of the position. The notice went up in January to enable the plot holders to plan for the next growing season. The notice included contact details for both the district and the town councils.
“Each plot is subject to a licence agreement, these agreements include provision for notice to be given to the plot holders to terminate the licences. The notice period can vary from licence to licence. All the plot holders have now been served notice.”
