Articles

The recent windy weather has brought down some quite large branches from trees in the park and on to plots on PPA.

Fortunately PPAA has a volunteer with the necessary qualifications to deal with and to remove these, and he’ll attend to them over the next week or two. So if anyone should discover these on their plot, then all that they need to do is to wait.

While you’re here…

Subscribers to this website will generally have received an email notifying them of this article, and all tenants who’ve consented to email contact by PPAA have been added to the Subscriber List.

NB: such tenants, but who’ve chosen to unsubscribe from this list will not be sent individual emails on important matters, e.g. the procedure on how to ensure that their tenancy continues, when the new Tenancy Agreement is introduced, and requires their becoming a party.

The website settings are such, that if a recipient should reply to this email using their own email account, then it’s been arranged that so doing will send an email to the PPAA gmail account.

However, the notification email also features a “comment“ button. Clicking on this will take the user to the comment section beneath the public website article notified by the email, where they can leave a public comment. That is, doing this will not send any email to the PPAA account.

The website has been receiving a few comments, worded as if the sender perhaps believed that they were private emails, and the gmail account emails worded as if they were maybe public comments.

(At one time PPAA used emailing software for its mailing list, but that isn’t any longer the case. Publishing communications to all on the website means that subscribers can be confident that they’re receiving the same as all the other recipients, whereas emailing software generally promotes – as an advantage – the capacity to send different messages to chosen groups.)

We hope that the above might have helped to clear up any uncertainty or misunderstanding.

PPA Website Team

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

A few years ago, the then PPAA Committee discussed the possibility of putting up new, additional site notice boards, on which plot holders could place e.g. for sale notices.

This was partly informed by the periodic need – taking up volunteer time – to remove the remains of such notices attached to the gates, along with cable ties, bits of wire etc., and the general impression of untidiness created.

However, the Committee members who’d agreed to investigate taking this forward subsequently left. More importantly though, since then, this website’s been developed, to offer the facility to readers to place such advertisements on it, where they will likely find a much wider readership. It also means that PPAA funds don’t need to be spent on the installation and maintenance of physical boards. The place for such notices is on the “Lost/found etc.” page. However, a word of warning: it’s unwise to publish to the world email addresses or phone numbers. So e.g. just a first name and plot number should be used for contact, and meetings can easily be arranged by reply to the original comment.

This website has well over two hundred subscribers, and the stats show that it also has a steady flow of general readers.

We’d respectfully ask then, that people wanting to advertise things for sale, or to announce that they’ve found lost property, and so on, kindly don’t place notices on the gates, but advertise as just described.

(It’s not just that it creates work for unpaid volunteers in tidying up the gates. Our understanding is that it’s unlawful to attach private notices to public property, which would, on the face of it, also put the poster in breach of rule twenty-seven of our tenancy agreements.)

Thanks everyone.

Again noted…

PPA Website Team

Georgina Rannard, the BBC’s climate and science correspondent, has an allotment plot in Cardiff. Her piece, with another of our gardeners, on BBC Breakfast at 0815 this morning (Sunday) can be found on BBC iPlayer – until it expires tomorrow (Monday) just before 0900.

She also has a written piece here.

Our thanks go to Georgina, for keeping us posted on such interesting and informative items.

PPA Website Team

In arguably more enlightened countries, e.g. France, Non Assistance Of A Person In Danger is a criminal offence, punishable by a fine of up to seventy-five thousand euros, and or as much as five years imprisonment. In England and Wales on the other hand, the right of the Lord Of The Manor to have his day untroubled by the discovery of someone seriously injured on the pavement is apparently considered to be more important, and so he’s legally entitled to ignore such a person and their predicament.

What has this to do with allotments? The reader might ask. Well, during and following the recent unseasonably windy weather, a number of branches have fallen onto plots from trees growing on Council property, Llandaff Fields Park, and these could easily have harmed anyone who happened to be beneath. Furthermore, on inspection, it’s clear, that over time, many more branches will become likely to fall, owing to the poor health of these trees. A number of such incidents have been reported to PPAA Committee members, and it sometimes appeared that the messengers expected them to ensure that this danger is addressed and removed, and that having passed on their observations, they themselves were absolved of any responsibility, moral or otherwise, to do anything further.

The paid post holders of corporate or other entities are legally bound by a Duty Of Care to require them not to act negligently, in such a way as to endanger either the general public, other employees, customers, service users, or whomever. However, the unpaid volunteers of PPAA Committee aren’t such people, and are bound instead by only the same duty not to behave recklessly as binds every member of the public. That is, they’re generally no more empowered or responsible for the reporting of any danger to the relevant body than is anyone else, e.g. any other plot holder.

With particular regard to dangerous trees on Council land adjoining site, PPAA Committee members have reported them several times using either the public on line reporting form, or by email to Parks Parks@cardiff.gov.uk and in some urgent instances action was taken by the Council, but anyone else could equally have done this, and PPAA Committee enjoy no privileged position in this regard, nor responsibility under the Local Management Agreement to do so either. So it would be of assistance, if those with any such concerns took the necessary action and made the reports themselves, rather than to expect others, who might be too busy to do so, or who might simply forget, to do this. The links in this paragraph will enable this, but our experience is that the Council are very stretched in this area of work, and usually down-prioritise jobs which aren’t an immediate danger to e.g. schools, to the extent that a reply to such reports isn’t to be expected as a certainty.

While you’re here…

It’s a minor oddity, but the pictured spade appeared on a plot recently, and it’s nothing to do with either its tenants or their immediate neighbours, so if anyone can account for this, then we’d be interested to hear.

Update: the spade has been reunited with its owner, who reported that they had found their shed open, but the only thing missing was the spade. Curiously, the plot from which it was taken was a long way from the one on which it was found. Furthermore, it was stuck into the ground upright where digging was presently taking place as if being used, and not simply thrown down. The plot holders – who reported the find – have more than one spade of their own however.

PPA Website Team

PPAA have just received this email from a lady plot holder on Llandaff Fields Allotments (those with one gate opposite ours):

“Hi, I have a plot just over the avenue in Llandaff Fields Allotments. 
Thought I should let you know, as I know you have had incidents of vandalism and theft on your site.  
At about 7:30 pm, Saturday 2nd, I popped by my plot to pick some produce and was met at the gate (down the lane by the the toilets) by two young boys (around ten/eleven) being chased by a fellow allotment holder, as they had stolen his bike off his plot. They cycled off pretty quickly with the stolen bike (but left one of their bikes behind.) About an hour later they returned (now three boys, the new one being about five/six years old) looking for their bike. My fellow plot holder spoke to them, negotiated a swap and got his bike back (although it had already been resprayed.) They cycled off again. Then about ten minutes later (I had returned to my plot to pack up my things to head home) the boys returned and spray painted my car, ripped off the fuel cap and sprayed/poured paint into the engine (car was parked outside the allotment in the small car park at the end of the lane.) 
Police have been notified.”

This might explain some of what has also happened on PPA site, and emphasises why the gates should be kept locked at all times. Sadly, it appears that allotments are now very much considered A Thing by the criminal classes and their kids.

PPA Website Team

Each plot holder, under their Tenancy Agreement is entitled to:

• Their plot, as seen when they were shown it.
• To use the access tracks and partition paths, so far as necessary, to access their plot or other entitlements.
• To use the water supply.
• To use the car parks for that purpose.
• To do any other thing expressed or implied as permitted by their Tenancy Agreement, but only to the extent allowed by its terms, e.g. to bring a dog, on a lead, onto their plot.

If they’re a full member of the Pontcanna Permanent Allotments Association, having paid their five pounds annual subscription, then they’re also entitled to:

• The use of manure when available.
• The use of wood chips when available.
• To enter the draw for a bed in the communal poly tunnel.

All tenants are automatically basic members of PPAA at no charge, and are therefore entitled to:

• Vote at AGMs
• Stand as PPAA Committee members
• Use the shop facilities and Plant Sale as and when available. (Notwithstanding the present wording of the Constitution, PPAA Committee have said that everyone can use these.)
• The use of any other PPAA benefit that’s intended to be for all e.g. the bring-and-take point.

An important point about the narrow paths between plots is that they’re composed of part of each adjoining plot. So in principle, if anyone goes on these when they don’t have a purpose for access, then they’re on someone else’s plot without either their invitation or other authority. Many plot holders will understandably be suspicious if they find someone who’s not a near neighbour on their path, and may well react accordingly. So if anyone’s curious – as many of us are – about what someone else is growing or how, then it’s best to observe from the wide, Committee-maintained trackways only.

PPA Website Team