It's a no-grow at Bassetsbury Lane allotments

8:24pm Thursday 2nd August 2012 in Blogs By ivor

As a keen garden myself I know how pleasurable it is to grow my own fruit and veg.

Not only is the food you grow yourself better than the shop bought equivalent but it can be cheaper too.

Sadly this year it has not been possible for me to grow as much as I would have hoped but as they say every little helps especially in the current financial climate.

You can imagine how sad I was to hear the possible permanent closure of the Bassetsbury Lane allotments has moved a step closer.

Apparently there is a problem with contamination in the soil at the site and it would appear the powers that be are giving up on the necessary soil tests and cleaning that would be required.

However a site in Castlefield may be enlarged as a result.

What's the point of closing an allotment at one end of town and enlarging another several miles away in Castlefield?

The Bassetsbury Lane residents would need to travel by car or bus to get to a replacement allotment Castlefield!

By the time the vegetables have been carted across Wycombe and help up at the multitude of traffic lights that are crippling our town they are hardly likely to be very fresh.

Once upon a time there were many more allotment in Wycombe than we have today indeed during the two world wars nearly everyone had an allotment. The local people depended on the food they grew themselves to supplement the rations.

With the rabbit hutch houses that are being built today in the name of affordability I would have thought there would be a great demand for allotments.

But come to think of it how many people would know hoe to grow a potato, cabbage or runner beans? Probably very few.

At one time gardening was taught in the schools indeed years ago some schools even had their own gardens for the children to learn in.

Sadly the people of today are more interested in ordering a take away and sitting in front of their television than growing their own food.

An hour spent in the garden is far better than ten hours spent aimlessly exercising in a gym and what's more its cheaper too and you actually get to see something for your efforts.

I wonder what will happen to the Bassetsbury Lane site? Could it possibly end up with houses built on it which generate income in the form of rates for the powers the be?

The closure of the Bassetsbury Lane allotments is a sad day for Wycombe.

Once one allotment has fallen it will be interesting to see how many more will suffer the same fate.

What do you think?

*Don't forget to read my regular column in this Friday's edition of the printed version of the Bucks Free Press!

Comments (10)

9:56pm Thu 2 Aug 12

Alberto The Great says...

Yet again, another depressing blog from Ivor.
Why don’t you just go somewhere else and moan on about that town.

Leave High Wycombe to prosper without your gloomy, miserable and mostly incorrect blogs.
Yet again, another depressing blog from Ivor. Why don’t you just go somewhere else and moan on about that town. Leave High Wycombe to prosper without your gloomy, miserable and mostly incorrect blogs. Alberto The Great

10:45pm Thu 2 Aug 12

ivor says...

Re the comments of Alberto The Great at 9:56pm
~
Obviously the madness of closing an allotment and possibly opening another one so far away it is out of reach of the original allotment holders is not very palatable to some people and I can imagine they would not want this issue publicised further.
~
I feel it important this matter is highlighted so the people of Wycombe can see what is happening in our town.
Re the comments of Alberto The Great at 9:56pm ~ Obviously the madness of closing an allotment and possibly opening another one so far away it is out of reach of the original allotment holders is not very palatable to some people and I can imagine they would not want this issue publicised further. ~ I feel it important this matter is highlighted so the people of Wycombe can see what is happening in our town. ivor

1:02am Fri 3 Aug 12

ImpeturbableLawrence says...

By the time the vegetables have been carted across Wycombe and help up at the multitude of traffic lights that are crippling our town they are hardly likely to be very fresh.


How far do you think a mango - or an orange - travels?
[quote]By the time the vegetables have been carted across Wycombe and help [sic] up at the multitude of traffic lights that are crippling our town they are hardly likely to be very fresh. [/quote] How far do you think a mango - or an orange - travels? ImpeturbableLawrence

1:04am Fri 3 Aug 12

ImpeturbableLawrence says...

ImpeturbableLawrence wrote:
By the time the vegetables have been carted across Wycombe and help up at the multitude of traffic lights that are crippling our town they are hardly likely to be very fresh.


How far do you think a mango - or an orange - travels?
That should be '... held up'
[quote][p][bold]ImpeturbableLawrence[/bold] wrote: [quote]By the time the vegetables have been carted across Wycombe and help [sic] up at the multitude of traffic lights that are crippling our town they are hardly likely to be very fresh. [/quote] How far do you think a mango - or an orange - travels?[/p][/quote]That should be '... held up' ImpeturbableLawrence

10:09am Fri 3 Aug 12

daemonite says...

Oh dear Ivor, you didn't proof read your blog did you? So you are a keen garden are you? Not a gardener then. And you wonder how many people know hoe to grow potatoes etc. Not how then.
Oh dear Ivor, you didn't proof read your blog did you? So you are a keen garden are you? Not a gardener then. And you wonder how many people know hoe to grow potatoes etc. Not how then. daemonite

1:43pm Fri 3 Aug 12

Edna_Welthorpe_ says...

Ivor by numbers

1. A glimpse into life at Bigun Hall. Gardening!
2. A suggestion that the old days of Dig For Victory are better; supermarkets charge too much for vegetables, thus his obese is not his fault (paltry wage, junk food goes further etc)
3. Ironically uses a supermarket’s catchphrase ‘every little helps’ right after criticising supermarkets
4. Blames the economy for not being able to grow vegetables this year (how?)
5. Ah, finally – we get the Main Theme. Another closure of something he suddenly cares about. No lying down this time though.
6. Soil contamination? Such newfangled science! He must therefore begin the paragraph with ‘Apparently’.
7. Council have made a reasonable compromise. This isn’t good enough. Everything needs to be local, and if not local, more local.
8. Some spurious traffic forecasts. (On edge of seat – will potholes be mentioned?)
9. ‘Once upon a time’ – ah, the good old days. Vague history. And yes, it’s Dig for Victory! Let’s bring back the war.
10. Misunderstand the housing market. He lives in an immense property, after all, so we must forgive him (plus it’s falling apart, and he can’t get his organ to play right).
11. Declining moral standards. Children think chips grow on trees, etc. Insert, by design or accident, an Ivorian slip ‘hoe to grow’
12. Be a hypocrite – sitting in front of TV, eating takeaway food? Familar, no? Re: last blog
13. Mention the Powers That Be.
14. Acknowledge yet another sad day.
15. Use grand words like ‘fate’ and ‘suffer’ to demonstrate what a stoic he must be to endure these injustices on behalf of the people of Wycombe

But no fear, it’s an A-Z next!
Ivor by numbers 1. A glimpse into life at Bigun Hall. Gardening! 2. A suggestion that the old days of Dig For Victory are better; supermarkets charge too much for vegetables, thus his obese is not his fault (paltry wage, junk food goes further etc) 3. Ironically uses a supermarket’s catchphrase ‘every little helps’ right after criticising supermarkets 4. Blames the economy for not being able to grow vegetables this year (how?) 5. Ah, finally – we get the Main Theme. Another closure of something he suddenly cares about. No lying down this time though. 6. Soil contamination? Such newfangled science! He must therefore begin the paragraph with ‘Apparently’. 7. Council have made a reasonable compromise. This isn’t good enough. Everything needs to be local, and if not local, more local. 8. Some spurious traffic forecasts. (On edge of seat – will potholes be mentioned?) 9. ‘Once upon a time’ – ah, the good old days. Vague history. And yes, it’s Dig for Victory! Let’s bring back the war. 10. Misunderstand the housing market. He lives in an immense property, after all, so we must forgive him (plus it’s falling apart, and he can’t get his organ to play right). 11. Declining moral standards. Children think chips grow on trees, etc. Insert, by design or accident, an Ivorian slip ‘hoe to grow’ 12. Be a hypocrite – sitting in front of TV, eating takeaway food? Familar, no? Re: last blog 13. Mention the Powers That Be. 14. Acknowledge yet another sad day. 15. Use grand words like ‘fate’ and ‘suffer’ to demonstrate what a stoic he must be to endure these injustices on behalf of the people of Wycombe But no fear, it’s an A-Z next! Edna_Welthorpe_

5:02pm Fri 3 Aug 12

gpn01 says...

Re "Obviously the madness of closing an allotment and possibly opening another one ".
.
Replace 'allottment' with running track in above sentence.
.
Or, replace 'allottment' with 'sports centre'
.
Or, replace 'allottment' with 'football stadium'

Or, replace 'allottment' with 'shopping centre'

...and you would have several items that have appeared in BFP previously.

There are elements in the Council who're determined to keep making changes. After all, if we didn't have major plans to redevelop 'x' then we wouldn't need so many people working on such redevlopments would we?
Re "Obviously the madness of closing an allotment and possibly opening another one ". . Replace 'allottment' with running track in above sentence. . Or, replace 'allottment' with 'sports centre' . Or, replace 'allottment' with 'football stadium' Or, replace 'allottment' with 'shopping centre' ...and you would have several items that have appeared in BFP previously. There are elements in the Council who're determined to keep making changes. After all, if we didn't have major plans to redevelop 'x' then we wouldn't need so many people working on such redevlopments would we? gpn01

1:20am Mon 6 Aug 12

plot10a says...

The very sad fact is that they haven't really established that it is contaminated, the whole affair is very suspicious with the original test being paid for by St James the building contractors who have put the houses up at the old sewage works.
Although cadmium was found in two spots by the front gate all the tests so far have concluded that this by no means indicates that the whole site is unusable, but WDC have conveniently told their insurers that the plots are knee deep in toxins so the insurers will not insure.
Guess what dept. the site will go to if it is definitely closed, yes that's right folks....
PROPERTY SERVICES! what a surprise.

WDC have had no intention of keeping the site for allotments to many CA CHINGS going off in their little ears.
The very sad fact is that they haven't really established that it is contaminated, the whole affair is very suspicious with the original test being paid for by St James the building contractors who have put the houses up at the old sewage works. Although cadmium was found in two spots by the front gate all the tests so far have concluded that this by no means indicates that the whole site is unusable, but WDC have conveniently told their insurers that the plots are knee deep in toxins so the insurers will not insure. Guess what dept. the site will go to if it is definitely closed, yes that's right folks.... PROPERTY SERVICES! what a surprise. WDC have had no intention of keeping the site for allotments to many CA CHINGS going off in their little ears. plot10a

4:51pm Tue 7 Aug 12

townraider says...

plot10a wrote:
The very sad fact is that they haven't really established that it is contaminated, the whole affair is very suspicious with the original test being paid for by St James the building contractors who have put the houses up at the old sewage works.
Although cadmium was found in two spots by the front gate all the tests so far have concluded that this by no means indicates that the whole site is unusable, but WDC have conveniently told their insurers that the plots are knee deep in toxins so the insurers will not insure.
Guess what dept. the site will go to if it is definitely closed, yes that's right folks....
PROPERTY SERVICES! what a surprise.

WDC have had no intention of keeping the site for allotments to many CA CHINGS going off in their little ears.
How true -- you are well informed i suspect .
[quote][p][bold]plot10a[/bold] wrote: The very sad fact is that they haven't really established that it is contaminated, the whole affair is very suspicious with the original test being paid for by St James the building contractors who have put the houses up at the old sewage works. Although cadmium was found in two spots by the front gate all the tests so far have concluded that this by no means indicates that the whole site is unusable, but WDC have conveniently told their insurers that the plots are knee deep in toxins so the insurers will not insure. Guess what dept. the site will go to if it is definitely closed, yes that's right folks.... PROPERTY SERVICES! what a surprise. WDC have had no intention of keeping the site for allotments to many CA CHINGS going off in their little ears.[/p][/quote]How true -- you are well informed i suspect . townraider

11:46pm Wed 15 Aug 12

williamjames says...

Well now, what a surprise!
If the whole site is contaminated should not WDC be looking at decontamination?
Is this another example of WDC looking to get an inflated price for the land from a housing developer? After all the contamination can be contained with concrete. Is the site being set up for development as "affordable housing"? To make a fat profit for the council and the developer.
What can you expect from this weak leader and cabinet of rejects!
Well now, what a surprise! If the whole site is contaminated should not WDC be looking at decontamination? Is this another example of WDC looking to get an inflated price for the land from a housing developer? After all the contamination can be contained with concrete. Is the site being set up for development as "affordable housing"? To make a fat profit for the council and the developer. What can you expect from this weak leader and cabinet of rejects! williamjames

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