About us

Torquay Allotment Holders Co-operative Association Ltd

Allotment History

Allotments as we know them started to appear at the time of the Enclosures, when many people lost their rights to use common land. Allotments were initially designed to give families a way to grow extra food for themselves, but not to produce surplus for sale.

The allotment movement in Britain received big boosts during both wars, but the number of plots has fallen significantly since then, and much of the available land has been lost to development. At the same time, there has been a shift towards allotment gardening as a popular leisure  activity.

We are proud to self manage South Parks Allotment, Barton Hill Way, Torquay. We lease the land from the owner, Torbay council. Torquay Allotment Holders Co-operative Association Ltd is responsible for collecting rent from the plot holders we also take responsibility for letting plots, making regular inspections to make sure that plots are being cultivated and kept in a safe condition, and maintaining footpaths and other common resources.

The advantage of self management is that the plot holders have a much bigger say in how their site is run by electing a Committee of Management at an AGM.