The Foundation has published several papers on how to build stronger communities, highlighting both social and economic benefits. In this briefing, we look at allotment policy in Scotland – an essential community facility.
We examine the history of allotments in Scotland, starting with the first legislation in 1892 to the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, which sets out the modern statutory framework. The National (UK) Allotments Society argues that Scottish legislation is ‘more modern and offer additional protections’, on statutory duties, plot sizes, rents and basic services.
The briefing then examines the evidence on the benefits of allotments. These include public health, the environment and economic growth. Each allotment could grow an average of £550 worth of produce between March and October. This is not negligible when the UK imports approximately £8bn of fruit and vegetables each year.
Despite stronger legislation in Scotland, there are still many challenges in implementing it. While there are statutory obligations to provide space for allotments, there remains a shortage of allotments. There are 211 allotment sites in Scotland with at least 6,300 plots. 66% of respondents reported an average wait of over 18 months.
The Greenspace survey suggests that around one allotment plot is required for every 37 people, which is equivalent to 2.7% of the population. This means allotment provision needs to be increased by around 10-fold in Scotland. This won’t happen without stronger statutory provisions and planning action. Ecologist, Dr Beth Nicholls, sums up the case for allotments, “In a world of increasing urbanisation, producing food in and around cities has the potential to improve both nutritional and health outcomes, alleviate poverty and simultaneously provide habitat for wildlife and create sustainable cities.”