Month: September 2025

The work – as resolved at Committee meetings – to replace the many presently unsuitable hedge components such as sycamore with better ones has begun.

This shouldn’t cause a reduction in site security, as that job is now done by the adjoining abundant dry hedging, made mainly from the arisings from the crown lifting of the row of mature hawthorns (those are in fact the original PPA boundary hedge), and by the vigorous brambles which now permeate it too.

The sycamores etc. will be cut out or reduced, and the stumps deactivated. This will lead to temporary gaps in the hedge – some quite wide – but these will be replanted where needed with far better subjects such as sloe, hawthorn, barberry, pyracantha, etc., and interspersed with honeysuckle. Not only will these form a much denser and thorny hedge to prevent intruders, but they’ll be much slower growing, and therefore greatly reduce the maintenance burden and its cost to PPAA. They’ll also make far better nesting for birds, and the berries will provide food for a range of animals. So everyone’s asked not to be tempted to infill such gaps with prunings or other waste!

(There are in fact many of the latter already among the sycamores etc., but they’ve been crowded out and light starved by those up until now, so it’ll be rewarding to see them start to thrive at last.)

The planting of the new hedging ought to be generally pleasant work, but there’ll be quite a bit of it, so if anyone wants to volunteer to help, then their offer will definitely be very gratefully received.

PPA Website Team

About two weeks ago, Site Representatives and the Working Group received the Final Report from the Council on the Consultation that’s taken place. However, for the time being its contents aren’t to be shared generally. Recipients have until October 3rd to make any comments.

Whether, on the basis of the Consultation analysis, the draft Agreement will be significantly amended remains to be seen.

We appreciate that this post doesn’t convey many facts, but what is clear is that the process seems to be following the expected timetable, and as soon as more is known it’ll be passed on. It’s hoped that this will allow plenty of time for those whose plots don’t meet whatever new standards for cultivation etc. to bring them up to specification, e.g. by the increase of cultivated area, removal of newly-specified disallowed plantings, and so on, without being pressured by any limited grace period etc.

(The expected timetable is that the new Agreement will be finalised by the end of this year, so that a full year’s notice can be given to everyone regarding the change. The new Agreement would then apply to allotment years – starting Feb 1st – 2027 onwards.)

As previously mentioned, every one of us will need to sign the new Agreement if we want to continue with our plots.

PPA Website Team

We had the first gale of the season yesterday, and there’ll no doubt be plenty more.

Everyone’s asked to make sure that all their structures and other property are capable of withstanding this type of weather. In particular, sheds etc. will be blown about like toys unless anchored securely to the ground. An effective way of doing this is by driving into the earth a good length of sturdy angle iron or scaffolding at some point along each side.

It’s also a feature of English and Welsh property law, that if someone else’s stuff gets blown onto our plot, then it becomes our possession, whether we want it or not. Our title – ownership – isn’t as good as the original owner’s, but as the saying goes, possession is nine-tenths of the law.

So if we were tempted to fly tip it anywhere, then we would have committed just as much of an offence as would the original owners if they had done this themselves, so please don’t anyone do this. Yes, it’s an inconvenience, but if the property can’t be reunited with its first owner, then we must dispose of it off site ourselves.

Thanks everyone.

PPA Website Team

Although it’s been customary for PPAA Committee to try to meet monthly, there isn’t in fact any constitutional requirement for the Association to do this, but only to hold an Annual General meeting. Nor is there any procedure laid down for such meetings, but the present Acting Chairs have followed the “blue chip” companies’ guidance as to that, and as to what is proper to include in or to exclude from any minutes taken. The position’s explained on this page.

The last meeting of PPAA Committee was in June as minuted, and there hasn’t been one since (nor of any sub-group.) This has been down to a number of reasons, such as holidays, people’s other family commitments, personal preferences, and the fact that electronic communication means that anything important can be discussed and resolved in that way.

From messages received however, it seems that some have perhaps mistakenly assumed that meetings took place as customarily scheduled, but that either minutes weren’t taken, or if they were, then they weren’t published. This isn’t the case. There simply haven’t been any meetings, but nevertheless the routine works – such as the clearing of plots and letting them to new tenants – have continued as normal, as has site maintenance, and other works previously resolved to be undertaken.

(If there should be reports being circulated, which differ from the above, then these – we’d suggest – would be mistaken. On a general point regarding communication, we’d also make clear that no plot holder is blocked from the PPAA email account, nor from commenting on this website. On the other hand, what anyone might do with their personal accounts – where these have, with hindsight, perhaps unwisely been shared – is of course entirely a matter for them.)

PPAA Website Team