Month: May 2026

It’s understandable, that during the recent very strong sun and heat, those parking vehicles will seek shade. However, there’s no excuse for what’s happened here.

As was very well publicised here, there was a program of planting – by unpaid volunteers – of pollinator-supporting flowering shrubs last year, and many of these have grown well, thanks to the tending, weeding, watering, and feeding by those volunteers, and by kind others.

So it’s more than disappointing, to see the lack of observation and consideration for that work on the part of some drivers, who apparently think that their desire to park in as much shade as possible trumps everything else.

A lot of unpaid work went into propagating these shrubs from cuttings, in preparing the ground for their planting, and in maintaining them since.

Please, everyone, support your fellow plot holders in such works.

PPA Website Team

A Dwr Cymru Inspector visited site a few weeks ago – accompanied by a PPAA Committee member – and concluded that there’s a leak of about 1020 litres per hour, from the pipework below ground. (When we last checked, a cubic metre, 1000 litres, cost £1.98. Those fond of arithmetic can work out the annual cost to the council tax payers of Cardiff.)

Under PPAA’s Local Management Agreement, Cardiff Council are responsible for the maintenance of water infrastructure.

It’s an offence for a property owner to allow water to leak to wastage in contravention of the purposes for which it’s supplied, and on that basis Dwr Cymru – we understand – issued a Notice to the Council, requiring a response within thirty days.

It would appear that the Council have taken action in response to the Notice, and accordingly, today, Martin met the Council’s Project Manager for this matter, along with an experienced water services contractor on site to gather details on the problem.

They apparently accepted Dwr Cymru’s position, and discussions on the best solution were begun. (Our understanding is that this matter has gone beyond Allotments and Parks to Council Board level, and that like consideration is extended to all Cardiff allotment sites with similar problems.)

We can, therefore, reasonably expect significant works before too long, and the need to work around these, but it’s encouraging to see apparently meaningful action being taken at last on this serious issue.

PPA Website Team

We’re into the first full growing season since the intermittent row of mature hawthorns (the historic boundary hedge for the site) was crown lifted, to allow light to reach the under storey of mainly brambles. The hope was that these would then proliferate and flourish, to produce a thicket impenetrable to intruders, and also to enhance habitat for a range of animals, notably hedgehogs, and low-nesting birds such as robins, wrens, black caps, and so on. Previously, owning to shade, this undergrowth was very sparse – as was the PPA hedge – or completely absent in quite a few places, making access for intruders very easy. The work was also coupled with the removal of fast-growing, unsuitable subjects from the hedge beside the PPA track, such as sycamore.

The position now is:-

• There is a dense, tall, broad, bramble thicket running nearly continuously for the length of the site, and this continues to grow and to spread, closing up the few remaining gaps.
• The rough laid hedging and brashings from tree work – which formed a temporary security barrier – have now been almost completely shot through by brambles, nettles, and so on, giving a pleasantly green, vibrant appearance to the feature, and concealing the dead wood.
• The maintenance burden of clipping low-hanging hawthorn branches over the main track has been greatly reduced.
• The lighting for the hedge on the PPA side of the wire netting has been much improved, and the berberis, hawthorn, newly-planted pyracantha, and other subjects are responding well to this.
• Holes were made in the wire netting at ground level, to allow animals such as hedgehogs easy entry and exit to and from the site. These are now being seen once more on PPA.

So we hope that the few who were concerned – alarmed even – by the temporary reduction in biomass that the initial work involved are now reassured to see that this is being greatly more than offset by the recent profusion of new growth.

PPA Website Team

The sale will be held as usual in the area by the communal poly tunnel near the southeast gate.

Including:-

Runner beans, French beans, pumpkin, courgette, squash, leeks, spinach, lettuce, herbs, cabbage, kale, sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower

Flowers selection, and much more

Cash or card

See you there!

(Many thanks to those who’ve grown subjects specially for the sale, or donated surplus plants.)

Plant sale volunteers and PPAA Committee.

Plant sale

The plant sale is set to be held from 11:00 to 14:00 on Saturday, May 16th, by the communal poly tunnel near to the southeast gate.

This isn’t just an opportunity to buy young vegetable plants at very reasonable prices, but also to meet, to chat, and to socialise at what is a convivial annual event.

Let’s hope for nice weather then!

Minutes for PPAA Committee meeting held on 5th May, 2026, at the Cricketers, Cathedral Road, Cardiff

Present: Mike Powell (Acting Chair), Wendy Gunter (Treasurer), Gordon Goldsmith, Sue Pasek (Acting Site Representative), Rhys Williams, Lewis Evans, Nerys Lloyd-Pierce.

Apologies: Martin Pasek.

The meeting opened at 19:00.

Matters arising from previous Minutes: 

To be covered in agenda.

Chair’s report:

• Mike attended the CAHA meeting on 22nd April.. Its main focus was to discuss the Economy & Culture Scrutiny Committee meeting held the day before, where CAHA had been invited to raise concerns with the service provided by the Allotments department. The full meeting may be viewed at https://cardiff.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1081729

• Plot Inspections have commenced. The first round identified the need for forty-four “Letters of Concern” to be sent. The second round of plot inspections is ongoing.

• The annual plant sale will be held on Saturday, 16th May, from 11:00-14:00, by the communal poly tunnel at the southeast end of site. 

• Two vacant plots have been cleared by volunteers. Following the Council’s guidelines,  the PPAA Committee will bill one of the previous plot holders for the cost of the rubbish removal.

Site Secretary’s report:

• Sue reported that there had been no recent progress on the Orkastrate system, and that the requested up-to-date waiting lists were still awaited.

Treasurer’s report:

• Wendy has submitted the verified PPAA accounts to the Council. She awaits the payment of our 2026-2027 grant. 

• A card reader has been purchased. 

AOB:

• A Welsh Water (Dwr Cymru) inspector has visited site, and confirmed that the underground water leak is significant. They have issued Cardiff Council, as the land owner, with a Notice to repair the leak, or possibly to face prosecution. The Council have thirty days to respond to them.

• Mike raised the issue of the need for people to stand for the vacant Committee Officer posts. Sue has stated that she has acted in the capacity of Site Representative for several years, but will not be doing so after the AGM. 

There was no further business, and the meeting ended at 20:15.

The next PPAA Committee meeting will be at the AGM, at 11:00 on Sunday, 14th June 2026 near to the southeast entrance of the PPA site.

PPA Website Team

The 2026 PPAA AGM is scheduled to be held at 11am, on Sunday, 14th June, by (or in) the communal poly tunnel near the southeast entrance.

All plot holders are at least basic members of the PPAA, and so it is hoped that as many as possible will attend the meeting.

Draft Agenda

Listing of those present – plot holders and Committee.

Chairman’s Welcome And Introduction.

Acting Site Representative’s (Site Secretary’s) report.

Treasurer’s Report.

Election/re-election of Officers (Chair, Site Secretary and Treasurer) and other Committee Members (currently there are five). Please note that Sue, who resigned as Site Representative a few years ago, but was requested by the Council to continue as their contact, will not be continuing in this capacity. The election will happen as follows:

New volunteers can be proposed – or propose themselves – and be seconded, along with those standing again. There will then be an e-vote, sent out by group email from the website (and also a paper one to those who don’t subscribe.) This will involve all tenants, and simply replicate the customary show of hands to approve or to reject, as a group, the designated Committee.

Volunteers to fill any of these roles are warmly invited to stand.

Plant Sale stats.

Any Other Business.

If anyone wishes to raise an issue at the meeting, then this could be added to the agenda (contact the PPAA in advance) or be raised under Any Other Business.

We very much hope to see as many plot holders as possible on the 14th June.

PPAA Committee