Nearly 70 allotment holders were devasted to learn the owner of the site is evicting them from plots that have been there since 1894.
The gardeners at Combe Down Allotments in Bath have been told the landowner – a distant relative of the original owner – wants to terminate the lease.
Bath and North East Somerset Council said it had been trying to negotiate with the man, who is not a resident of Bath, but he has refused to meet them.
His legal team has now sent the authority a notice to vacate the land by November 30 next year.
Local councillor Tim Ball said: ‘This land has been used for allotments since 1894 and continues to be of significant social value for the community so this is a hugely disappointing decision.’
Renee Tyers, 68, has an allotment there and grows herbs, artichokes, courgettes, raspberries, strawberries, spring onions, asparagus, leak and kale.
She said: ‘I absolutely love it – it’s just such an amazing privilege to have time and space to grow things for your own food.
‘It’s a very sad thought that the site might disappear really, because it’s been here for 130 year. It’s a huge loss.
‘It’s a wonderful site. I live down the road so it’s wonderful.’
Renee said the allotments have been a fantastic way to meet people in the community, adding: ‘I just really hope that we will be able to secure the site for the future.
‘It’s so good for your mental health and being outdoors. It’s a really important part of my life now.
‘I lost my husband so I live alone now so I have time to do these things because I’m not working anymore. It’s a totally different way of life – it’s really nice.’
Another added: ‘It’s all a terrible shame – we don’t understand why because no one’s has been able to speak with the landowner.
‘The whole community will be devastated everybody loves the space and the wildlife and the greenery of it.
‘You make friends down there that you wouldn’t have met in the village.
‘You have a little community down there that you get to meet because they come from all over the village.’
The Bath & North East Somerset Allotments Association has been running a ‘Save Combe Down Allotments’ campaign.
It said: ‘By an accident of history, the large allotment site at Combe Down has been held in leasehold since 1895.
‘The site, along with the adjacent quarry and the Monkton School playing fields, is owned by a distant relative of the original landowner, who is not a resident of Bath.
‘The site was originally procured by the Monkton Combe Parish Council to serve the workers in the Bath stone mines but, following city boundary changes in 1967, became the responsibility of Bath City Council.
‘The Council has held rolling leases since that time. Unfortunately the owner of the land has recently given advance notice of his intention to end the lease in 2025.’
Cllr Ball said the authority had explored ‘all options’ to save Combe Down Allotments and would continue to do so.
He said: ‘This has included exploring any statutory acquisition powers for the site.. We have also requested meetings with the landowner to understand why he wants the council to vacate the land.
‘Unfortunately, all requests to meet have, to date, been declined through his solicitor.
‘We are in negotiations to purchase the land and the council is also exploring alternative sites.
‘We will continue to work with the allotment holders but we have to be realistic.
‘There is no specific timeframe over which the obligation for the provision of an alternative allotment site must be satisfied.’
However, the council spokesperson said a group of residents from the Unincorporated Friends of Combe Down Allotments had made a successful application to turn the site into an Asset of Community Value (ACV)
Although the owner of an ACV is free to sell to any buyer of their choice, they cannot do this without officially notifying the council.
Once the notice is received there is a six week ‘interim moratorium’ period in which community interest groups or any other buyers can submit a written request to the council to be treated as a potential bidder.
The council must pass the request onto the landowner, at which point a six month ‘full moratorium’ period ensues.
This period is intended to give a group time to assemble a bid and, if successful, complete the purchase, the council spokesperson said.
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