It comes after Conservative Jake Chandler put forward a motion which, if it had been passed in its original form, would have mandated the council not to sell any of the eight sites it owns.
In the end, it was amended by the Labour administration, meaning Cllr Chandler ended up voting against his motion – and the council said that there would be no net loss of allotment space in the borough.
This hasn’t assuaged the fears of either Cllr Chandler or some other allotmenteers.
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Cllr Chandler said: “I was disappointed the motion didn’t pass as written. I just wanted to protect allotment sites for future generations.
“And while the council has committed to no net loss, that doesn’t mean it might not sell a site, or more, and replace it with another somewhere else.
“If that replacement is part of a new housing development, that could be five or 10 years before it arrives. Or it could be some distance away.”
Cllr Chandler added: “I’ve had a lot of people contact me, very worried about this.”
He shared, anonymously, some of the comments he had received: “Where do I go if my site is sold? This should never be allowed to happen!”
“I’ve put 35 years into my allotment – I can’t start again from scratch.”
“My allotment is where my kids learn about where food comes from, losing allotments will take away my ability to grow fresh food and rob opportunities away from their generation!”
He said: “A simple commitment not to sell any of its sites, and even better, transferring them to parish councils would resolve all this.
The Labour administration’s cabinet member for finance and the Local Plan, Councillor Kevin Small, added: “Jake and the Tory group are trying to create a story that is not there.
All statutory allotments have been transferred to the parishes as it is a parish function.
“The council does own the freehold on some non-statutory sites, which are usually subject to long leases to the local parish council.“
Cllr Small said he had instructed officers to start preparing a new 99-year lease for Highworth Town Council for one of the sites of concern at Swindon Road.
He added: “I do find this sudden concern for allotments somewhat strange, when it’s not that long ago that the Tories were looking to close six allotment sites in Swindon; two in my own area, one of which is now home to a Travelodge!”
Cllr Small said there would be an updated requirement for allotments in the Local Plan being developed: “Labour values allotments and the role they play in our communities, and that is why as part of the new Local Plan, an updated open space audit is being produced which will include a review of the standards needed for allotments.”
Until this work is completed, the new Local Plan has used the last Open Space Audit as the starting point (0.3 ha per 1,000 population) for considering the allotment infrastructure needed to support new growth up to 2043. The figure will be updated once the new Open Space Audit has been completed.
Growth up to 2043 has been assessed as requiring up to 16.8 ha of new allotment provision. On large strategic sites such as Wichelstowe, new allotment space is included as part of the overall mix of use.
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