Queen told to give up land for allotments

The 100,000 people waiting for an allotment could all be given a vegetable patch if local councils converted brownfield sites and the Queen gave up some of her land.

A report published this week by the New Local Government Network thinktank said the Government should offer tax incentives to landowners who rent out unused plots as allotments.

In some areas of the UK, waiting lists for allotments are up to 40 years long.

Allotments have many social and environment benefits, the NGLN said, and are an “iconic part of the British psyche”.

Director Chris Leslie explained: “It is well documented that allotments can help to keep people fit, encourage healthy eating, reduce carbon footprints and save money on food bills, so it’s a tragedy that over 100,000 people are waiting to be provided with a plot of land.

“With 1% of landowners owning 70% of land in the UK, we would like to see the Government encourage them to share a small portion of it with people in their local communities, particularly those who do not have access to their own garden.”

He added that the royal family should not be exempt from the initiative.

“The royal family should also be encouraged to share some of their vast 677,000 acres to allow more people to enjoy gardening and farming,” he said.

“Our reforms would see much more unused and unfunctional brownfield land developed into a much more picturesque landscape of working allotments.”

The number of allotments in Britain has declined from 1.4 million in the 1940s to 200,000 today.