Best council areas to rents an allotment in England
New research has revealed huge differences in allotment availability and costs in England’s Metropolitan Council areas. With Council run plots varying by up to 1,015 in number and the average costs ranging between just £17 and £382!
With search demand around “allotments” increasing by 12% in the past year, GTSE.co.uk conducted research to take a closer look. The DIY brand used FOI requests to compare data from 36 Metropolitan City Council areas in England (excluding London Boroughs due to high land value and population densities).
Tom Armenante, director at GTSE cable ties said,
“Our research has found that there are huge differences in availability and costs surrounding renting allotments in England. However, there are multiple factors at play here with each council managing their city’s allotments differently. Some are council run, whilst others are completely independent. Some plots are larger in size and others have higher costs due to water access and the amount of work required to maintain.
Despite this though, it’s clear that demand is high and that location really does play a role in how much residents might end up paying and how long they might be waiting to start their allotment journey. It really is a postcode lottery.”
Councils with the most Council run plots per 100,000 people
Two South Yorkshire cities were revealed to be amongst the highest number of plots per 100,000 people, coming second and third in the research. Barnsley and Sheffield were revealed to have 785 and 675 plots per 100,000 people respectively.
South Tyneside Borough Council had the most at 1,015, topping the table. The borough was joined in the top five list with fellow Tyne and Wear Councils, North Tyneside and Sunderland.
South Tyneside Borough Council, Tyne and Wear
- 1,500 Number of plots (Council run)
- 1,015 Number of plots per 100,000 people (Council run)
Barnsley Borough Council, South Yorkshire
- 1,920 Number of plots (Council run)
- 785 Number of plots per 100,000 people (Council run)
Sheffield City Council, South Yorkshire
- 3,754 Number of plots (Council run)
- 675 Number of plots per 100,000 people (Council run)
North Tyneside Borough Council, Tyne and Wear
- 1,308 Number of plots (Council run)
- 626 Number of plots per 100,000 people (Council run)
Sunderland City Council, Tyne and Wear
- 1,685 Number of plots (Council run)
- 615 Number of plots per 100,000 people (Council run)
Councils with the most plots per 100,000 people (Council run and Independents combined)
South Tyneside also topped the table when looking at both Council run and independently run allotments. North Tyneside climbed the table when independents were added to the total, taking them from 4th to 2nd place, with 993 allotment plots per 100,000 people. Swapping places with Barnsley Borough Council. Doncaster entered the top 5 in 3rd place, whilst its South Yorkshire neighbour Sheffield, dropped down to 15th.
South Tyneside Borough Council, Tyne and Wear
- 1500 Total number of combined plots
- 1015 Total number of combined plots per 100,000 people
North Tyneside Borough Council, Tyne and Wear
- 2076 Total number of combined plots
- 993 Total number of combined plots per 100,000 people
Doncaster Borough Council, South Yorkshire
- 2554 Total number of combined plots
- 829 Total number of combined plots per 100,000 people
Barnsley Borough Council, South Yorkshire
- 1920 Total number of combined plots
- 785 Total number of combined plots per 100,000 people
Sunderland City Council, Tyne and Wear
- 2035 Total number of combined plots
- 742 Total number of combined plots per 100,000 people
Councils with the least and most expensive average plot cost
Plot costs vary hugely from one location to another based on many factors. The most expensive Council on our list was Rochdale with the average cost to the nearest GBP being £382. Whereas, in Stockport, tenants are paying on average just £17! This could be down to the average plot size and amenities however, what this does show is that locals could be priced out in Rochdale. Especially with 15 sites in Rochdale currently being so busy that even the waitlists are closed. Our research found that a total of 9 Councils (25%) had one or more closed waitlists and only 14 (39%) had plots immediately available.
Least expensive average plot cost - Average cost of a plot (to nearest £)
1. Stockport Borough Council, Greater Manchester - £17
2. Kirklees Borough Council, West Yorkshire - £21
3. Wakefield City Council, West Yorkshire - £26
4. Sunderland City Council, Tyne and Wear - £33
5. Dudley Borough Council, West Midlands - £36
Most expensive average plot cost - Average cost of a plot (to nearest £)
1. Rochdale Borough Council, Greater Manchester - £382
2. St Helens Borough Council, Merseyside - £259
3. Bury Borough Council, Greater Manchester - £223
4. Sefton Borough Council, Merseyside - £164
5. Tameside Borough Council, Greater Manchester - £126
Our research shows that the barriers to accessing allotment plots in England are extremely location dependent. 56% of allotments offer some form of discounts for tenants which will certainly help to give more equal opportunity. Discounts for over 65s are as high as 50% in areas such as Tameside and over 60s in Liverpool for example.
Whilst there are many benefits to having an allotment, the maintenance requires commitment and hard work. Tom suggests starting with a small plot to grow your skills, or even making a small space in the garden (should you have one) to test whether it is the right decision for you.
