Apologies: Derrick Went
1. Minutes of the previous meeting 2nd December 2024 were noted and agreed.
2. Chairman’s Report
Welcome everyone and thank you for attending this meeting of Paignton Home Garden Allotment Society.
We have a guest, Martin Harris from York Road allotments who is interested to see how we manage our sites and I would welcome any suggestions he may give us.
I would like to reflect upon what we are and why we are here.
A Society is an organization or club formed for a particular purpose.
Our purpose is to manage the three allotment sites. These being defined as a valuable community asset, boosting health and wellbeing by providing growing spaces and creating a bio diverse corridor.
This April will be the 16th anniversary of PHGAS which means we have 54 years remaining on our 70 year lease from Torbay Council which should be long enough for most of us.
We owe a debt of gratitude to those who did the hard work to set up the Society, form the Committee and put in the infrastructure such as paths and toilets.
Today we thank the unpaid volunteers who allow us to thrive, in particular Lorraine, our Secretary and Jodi, our Treasurer as they continue the arduous task of collecting the rents. I also want to thank Melanie Philpott from Lower Penns who administers our discounted purchases from Kings Seeds.
In recent years we have been sub dividing our larger plots to enable more local people the to have the opportunity to get out and get growing on a manageable space. However, some newcomers have been unable to devote the time and effort needed to maintain their plots so it is important that the site reps carry out regular inspections. If a plot is not being cared for then they can contact the tenant directly to ask if there is a short term problem or if they need some help, possibly a co-worker. Some may then conclude that allotment gardening was not as easy as they expected so may acknowledge that they no longer wish to continue, and a new person should be offered the plot.
Although I have focused on newer members, we have to be fair and enforce the same rules for those who have been with us for many years.
If they decide to continue but their lack of progress persists then we have a formal process to terminate the tenancy. This has been refined recently so that we are able to recover the land in a reasonable state for the new tenant and the other plot holders are not inconvenienced by intrusive weeds.
I would be grateful if the Secretary could remind us of the procedure and timescales.
The secretary described the procedure whereby when site representatives having carried out an inspection and find plots not meeting the required standards of use or upkeep, they then request she sends a formal warning ‘dirty plot’ letter on behalf of the Society.
This first warning letter highlights the issue to the plot holder and gives 4 weeks notice of a further inspection. Should the site representatives find at the second inspection the plot not been improved sufficiently then a second warning letter would be issued giving 2 weeks to make the necessary improvement. If after this 2 week period the plot still falls sort of the standard then a notice to quit would be issued on behalf of the Society giving the tenant one week to clear the plot.
Plot holders who had already received a first warning would receive a second warning if their plot was found to be below standard again within a year of the first warning. If a second warning had already been issued and within the year the plot was again found to be lacking the notice to quit could be issued.
3. Matters arising from previous minutes and AGM
- Tree at Oakleigh. The documents are still in the possession of Brian Coles. The secretary will chase again for them to be sent through to her so the online application to have them inspected can be made.
- The secretary wrote to Otter Nurseries and Longcombe Cross Nursery to ask if a discount scheme can be set up for plot holders. No response to letters was received. The secretary discussed it in person with manager at Otter and unfortunately there is no scheme available. Secretary will approach Longcombe Cross in person. It was suggested Churston Garden Centre could also be approached – secretary to follow up.
- Website updates - Derrick Went and Leigh Burns the Webmaster have now updated all the website content. However, it does not appear to be being used very much. If anyone has any suggestions, Derrick is happy to consider. Webmaster also renewed our website plan with Weebly and our web address phgas.org. total cost £114.74, we are all sorted until March 2027. At this point we will review how much the site is being used and what other options we can consider.
- Oakleigh boundary wall that had collapsed adjacent to Baston Gardens. Plotholder 11b cleared the area and Derrick Went completed the online Council webform to have it inspected. Incident number ID 262363, nothing actioned by the Council as yet.
4. Correspondence
- There has been a lot of ongoing correspondence on behalf of site reps and plot holders since the last meeting, in addition to this the following has taken place:
- Annual Insurance was renewed in January
- Annual subscription with NAS also renewed in January.
- Database of plotholders across 3 sites updated and provided for NAS / Insurance
- Website subscriptions renewed.
- 7 plots have been re-let since the last meeting
- 14 new applicants have been added to the waiting list since the last meeting in the process of re-letting posts we have removed 12 names from the top, so waiting list relatively static at 125-130.
- There have been 6 requests for updates on position on the list.
- All tenancy agreement renewals went out the last week in March - 155 tenancy agreement sent out (6 by post).
- Four dirty plot warning letters have also just been issued for Oakleigh.
5. Treasurer’s Report
- Opening Balance £7,612.72
- Paid Out
- Bank Charges £19.40
- Insurance £498.94
- NASLG £500.50
- Pallets £15
- Returned key deposit £20
- Water LP’s £33.23
- Roofing Felt Oakleigh £28
- Rat Poison £46.28
- Sawdust toilet LP £15.96
- TOTAL £1,177.31
- Paid In
- Subs £1,192
- Joining Fees £150
- Chicken pellets £39
- TOTAL £1,381
- Cash £18.90
- Closing Balance £7,816.41
6. Site Reports
- Derrell Road
- We remain fully occupied. We conducted a site inspection in January which resulted in 3 plot holders being asked for their intentions.
- One person has not responded or made any progress so we are considering whether we should send them a further email or start the formal process.
- Thankfully, one responded and has started to get their plot into much improved cultivation.
- The third plot holder decided to acknowledge that they did not want to continue due to a change in their circumstances. They had inherited a messy plot due to the previous tenant bringing lots of unusual material to the site then becoming unwell and leaving suddenly. We declined to pay them to remove his unwanted items as there was no precedent for this at that time. However, during their 4 + years tenure they made scant progress, despite an initial dirty plot letter. Sadly they added to the unwanted rubbish and are now difficult to engage with.
- We would like to raise the question of assisting the new tenant to return the plot to full cultivation in the AOB later.
- Oakleigh
- Since the last meeting 3 plots have been re-let and we are in the process of letting 3 more.
- One scrap metal collection has taken place and a further one is imminent.
- A clearance of a large build up of unwanted material on one plot is arranged for Sat 8th March, by a licenced waste collector at a cost of £295. A large trailer will be brought onto site and the contractor will load it and remove it.
- Lower Penns
- Two plot holders gave up their plots ahead of the new tenancy agreements being sent out. The site reps cleared one whole plot took the opportunity to use it to have a bonfire to clear all unwanted timber from Lower Penns. This plot has now been divided into 2 half plots and one of these has already been re-let. Two further half plots are in the process of being let.
- One longstanding plot holder and Committee member has decided to give up her plot. Christine Guiver had been on Lower Penns for 29 years and had served on the Committee for many of those years. Christine was one of the founding members of PHGAS, she will be greatly missed on Lower Penns and the Society would like to thank her for all her work over the years.
- Hayden Mudford has very kindly agreed to step up to be a site rep for Lower Penns. We therefore have a vacancy for the wildlife officer position for the Society should anyone be interested.
- Site reps have been busy securing the site boundaries over the winter. Most plot holders are now in the process of preparing their plots for the coming growing season, many were on site yesterday in the sunshine. The hope is those that haven't been seen for some time will return having received their new tenancy agreements.
- There are a handful of plots that were underused last year, site reps will monitor these closely over the next few months to ensure they are brought into full use this year.
7. AOB
- Initial non-returnable £50 joining fee – This was introduced at the 2023 AGM as a measure to help issue of plots being left in an underused and poor condition, the thought being it would encourage new plot holders to think more carefully about taking on a plot. A discussion took place on the pro’s and cons of this initial fee being a returnable deposit, - returnable when a plot holder surrenders their plot if it was in a good ready to be let condition. Committee members were evenly split on this issue so it was decided to keep it as a non- returnable fee for the moment.
- DR site reps made a case for the Society to fund the removal of rubbish accumulated on plot 4 to help the new plot holder get the plot back into good use. This would be a similar cost to the Oakleigh one scheduled to take place later this week. This was agreed by the Committee. It was noted there will most likely be a need for further similar clearances in particular on Oakleigh to get sites rubbish free and to set a new acceptable baseline for cleanliness on the sites.
- The wildlife officer Hayden reported that, unfortunately, the criteria for rehoming hedgehogs could not be met on our sites, so this will not be pursued further.
8. Date of Next Committee Meeting
- To be held on Monday June 2nd 2025
Meeting Closed at 8.30pm.