Petition launched to save Aylesbury allotment from closure

Thursday, 13 July 2023 07:00

A petition has been launched to save an allotment in Aylesbury from closure.

Allotment holders in Tring Road have received letters from Aylesbury Town Council advising of their plan to re-claim the site to extend the existing cemetery.

The council plans to look at other land to rent or purchase to rehouse them.

The site current has around 100 allotment holders.

A petition has currently been signed by over 740 signatures.

Aylesbury Town Council has sent us this statement:

"This proposal has not been taken lightly and we do not underestimate the impact that this decision has on those residents affected by it. The land off Tring Road was purchased in 1934 by the then council to be used for the cemetery and it is now required to enable the town’s residents to bury their loved ones in the future and prevent an early closure of that cemetery. Aylesbury may be expanding rapidly, but the actual Parish of Aylesbury which the Town Council is responsible for as the Burial Authority remains the same and there is now the need to use this land as explained in the correspondence to those allotment garden tenants currently using the land.

The Town Council welcomes further discussions with anyone who has concerns, and has organised both a drop-in session and direct contact points for all those allotment holders affected. We continue to proactively look for, and will consider the purchase of additional land for allotment gardens where we are able to do so. With a number of allotment sites across the town we understand the value of having allotments and the positive impact this has on those who tend them."