Spine road hedge improvements
The removal of the unsuitable, fast-growing, thornless subjects is complete, and the build up of clippings etc. has all been raked out. This means that the new hedging – mixed berry colour pyracantha – can be ordered and planted.
This will result in a dense, very thorny, tough, evergreen hedge, with attractive and highly wildlife-beneficial berries. It will grow at a similar rate to the hawthorns, berberis, hollies, and other subjects, which remain from the original hedging. It will provide better, more secure nesting for birds, and only require cutting once a year, which can be done in autumn or winter. (In order to maintain access for vehicles – and to remove nuisance to pedestrians and cyclists – the former hedge needed three or even four trims a year.)
This not only reduces greatly the burden for volunteer effort and/or cost for paying for the work, but also preserves and enhances the future maintainability of the site. (PPAA Committee are required under their local management agreement with the Council to maintain hedges. Clearly, they have failed in this obligation if they allow such hedges to become unmaintainable by whatever volunteer effort or resources they might have.)
Communal poly tunnel bed draw
As previously announced, the draw for beds, for two growing years, is still open, and closes at midnight on the thirty-first of this month, January 2026.
It seems likely that the initial draws – including last year’s – attracted most of the people interested, which perhaps explains the relatively quiet response so far. So those already with beds subject to the draw, but who’d like to continue for another two years, are advised that if they applied too, then the signs so far are that there’s a real chance that some of them could do that.
Council bills
In principle, all plot holders who intend to continue with their plots from February this year onwards should have received a bill in November.
However, owing to the Council’s approach to introducing the new Orkastrate system for managing allotment tenancies, anyone who began their tenancy at any time since around June 2024 may very well not have received a bill for a second time. This is because the Council’s billing department – we understand – are still working from the previous, manually-updated file system, which, it appears, ceased to be updated by Allotments Office from the moment that the Orkastrate system introduction was begun. We emphasise that PPAA Committee have faithfully communicated to Allotments Office all details of every letting. This is everything that they’re required to do, and owing to budgetary and staffing matters at the Council, they’re unable to influence matters further. Notwithstanding, Sue spent a morning in person with Allotments Officer, on the understanding that the latter was updating the Orkastrate system from Sue’s personal records. This will still have no effect on billing, however, for the reason stated earlier in this paragraph. Another incidental effect – it seems possible – is that those who have resigned their tenancies may nevertheless continue to be billed by the Council.
This problem affects all sites in Cardiff. Allotments Officer has, we infer, indicated that when the system is properly updated, those tenants who have so far not been billed will receive backdated bills to cover the whole unpaid period, and so we advise everyone affected to prepare for any possible financial impact of such. We await further clarification on this point, however.
PPA Website Team
