Allotment holders in a 'David and Goliath' battle with the church as diocese chiefs plan to sell off one of Britain's oldest vegetable plots that starred in BBC Gardeners' Question Time for housing
- Wellesbourne allotments based near Stratford-upon-Avon date back to 1841
- Association warns that losing site would be like 'splitting a community in two'
- Allotment featured on Monty Don's Big Dreams Small Spaces on BBC this year
- Diocese says community will 'have the opportunity to express their views'
Allotment holders are battling church diocese chiefs to sell off one of Britain's oldest vegetable plots to developers who plan to build 50 houses.
Members of Wellesbourne Allotment Association say losing the 176-year-old site near Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire would be like 'splitting a community in two'.
The allotment featured on Monty Don's BBC show Big Dreams Small Spaces earlier this year and even hosted BBC's Gardeners' Question Time in 2015.
Ken Manning, treasurer of Wellesbourne Allotment Association in Warwickshire, said the site 'could be regarded as the centre of the national allotment movement'
Members of Wellesbourne Allotment Association say losing the 176-year-old site near Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire would be like 'splitting a community in two'
The allotment featured on Monty Don's BBC show Big Dreams Small Spaces earlier this year and even hosted BBC's Gardeners' Question Time in 2015
But the 97 allotment holders are now in a 'David and Goliath' battle with the Diocese of Coventry over plans to bulldoze the seven acre site to make way for 50 houses.
If Stratford-on-Avon District Council approve plans, it will be the end for the site which has had people growing fruit and vegetables for their families since 1841.
Allotment chairman Ian Hope said: 'Our allotments are one of the oldest in Britain dating back nearly 180 years. We have held open days in previous years, raising considerable funds for charity.
'We have hosted BBC's Gardeners' Question Time in 2015 and have featured on Monty Don's Big Dreams Small Spaces programme in early 2017 and are proud of our history and positive contribution to our community.
'It came as a great shock to learn from a church representative that Coventry Diocese is seeking to move us off. The allotments provide more than food for our tenants.
'They form a valuable social focal point for all areas of our community, including the elderly, families and the less privileged, as well as providing the many proven physical and mental benefits of outdoor exercise.
Pat McDonaugh (left, with treasurer Mr Manning), 73, shares an allotment with her brother and sister which they inherited from their father who had it the 1950s
The 97 allotment holders are now in a 'David and Goliath' battle with the Diocese of Coventry over plans to bulldoze the seven acre site to make way for 50 houses
If Stratford-on-Avon District Council approve plans, it will be the end for the site which has had people growing fruit and vegetables for their families since 1841
'Many of our tenants have enhanced their plots, for example with fruit trees, asparagus beds and sheds or greenhouses that would be bulldozed, losing their long term investment in the plot as well as the amenity value.
'It would be like splitting a community in two. It's taken 20 years to get where we are today. We have a waiting list for people who want to join us.
'It has to be one of the oldest allotments in the country and has sustained poor labourers and their families with food since the times of Joseph Arch and the agricultural union he founded close by.'
Ken Manning, 65, treasurer of the allotment association, said: 'Wellesbourne could be regarded as the centre of the national allotment movement.
'It is a fantastic site and people love it. When one of our plot holders heard that the site was subject of a planning application she burst into tears.
The association has held open days in previous years, 'raising considerable funds for charity'
One of the variosu community events held by the Wellesbourne Allotment Association
The plans will 'devastate our community and it will completely tear us apart', the group says
'The overall feeling is one of anger. The plans will devastate our community and it will completely tear us apart. Most of our plot holders will be too old to want to start again.
'The questions I have are just basically, why us and why now? There are other allotments in Coventry and Warwickshire that belong to Coventry Diocese so why us?
'For them it is just about financial gain. It is like David vs Goliath and we all know how that one ended up.'
One member of the allotment association, Pat McDonaugh, 73, shares an allotment with her brother and sister which they inherited from their father who had it the 1950s.
She said: 'It was his (my father's) lifelong interest. He had three allotments during the 1950s.
'We grew up during the war time and allotments during the war time were an important source of food so we all appreciated them.
A cake stall at one of the previous community events held at the allotments in Warwickshire
Coventry Cathedral, also known as St Michael's Cathedral, is the Diocese of Coventry's HQ
A diocese spokesman said the sale of the land 'would be subject to planning permission'
'Because of this we sort of grew up with the allotments. It is sort of a family allotment, we share it with my brother and my sister.
'Many people here are elderly and if we were moved on I don't think they would have the time or the energy in their lives to start another allotment plot all over again.'
The diocese said the 'local community would have the opportunity to express their views before any planning permission is granted'
Chairman of St Peter's Parochial Church Council, David Close, said there was a need to balance the needs for housing with the rights of the allotment holders.
He added: 'St Peter's Church is very conscious of the conflicting demands between the need for more houses and the impact upon the allotment holders of moving to new land. The plans include a significant proportion of affordable homes.
'However, high in the council's thinking was the loss of a site of historical importance that is part of the heritage of Wellesbourne.
'Several generations of Wellesbourne families have made this land fertile and productive for their families.'
A diocese spokesman said: 'The sale of any of the land would be subject to planning permission being granted.
'As part of the normal planning consultation process, the local community would have the opportunity to express their views before any planning permission is granted.
'Any planning permission would be subject to normal development conditions which are attached to the development of former allotment land, which would protect the interests of allotment holders.'
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