Town Clerk, John Farrant gave a report to the Ventnor Town Council on Monday night on the provision of allotments in Ventnor.
Discussions have been ongoing with Matthew Chatfield, Head of Parks, Beaches and Countryside and Mr Farrant made a point of praising Mr Chatfield for his co-operation and assistance in preparing the plan for the allotments.
The area pinpointed for the allotments is in Upper Ventnor, where Sidney Cottages previously were by the old depot. Mr Farrant, Cllr Mew and Cllr Lucas had spent a great deal of time up there with tape measures and believe that there is potential for 13 or 14 plots.
He went onto explain that the whole areas needs further investigation, as the depth of the soil is not clear. It is thought that the concreted areas could be used to create three raised beds for disabled allotment holders. In addition, consideration needs to be given to a water supply and a restriction on not having sheds on plots would mean that the old toilets would be converted for storage use.
The IWCC will be providing £2,000 towards the creation of the allotments, with £7,000 coming from the VTC budget. It’s thought that the cost of fencing the site off, with two gates would be in the region of £3,500.
The VTC would not need to sign a lease to use the area, as the IWCC were going to issue a Memorandum to Use. It’s envisaged that an Allotment Holders Association would operate and manage the site.
There is already a waiting list of at least 35 people, so with only 13-14 plots being available, some will be disappointed.
However, another potential location has also been pinpointed in St Lawrence, which could provide another 10 plots and Mayor Scoccia was asked to follow this up with the IWCC.
Mr Farrant finished by stating that although there is still much to do, the end is in sight and it’s hoped that the allotments could be ready by the end of the year.
Image: Mugger
