For me, one of the main benefits of having an allotment is having a shed. How can you have an allotment without one? Tool protector, tea drinking shelter, homemade wine factory etc…
So I reached the point where laboring on the allotment without a shed was simply not reaching the levels of fulfillment that I had expected/required.
I researched what sort of shed I would need (only a small one, how to build said shed, what to put it on etc) and then set about scouring the internet for the wooden structure of my dreams.
I sourced this for inside it, which will be upcycled somehow.
Meanwhile, I had looked into what permissions would be needed to erect a shed on the plot. I was directed by my allotment assoication to th elocal council website where the necessary forms were. These were filled out and sent off, with the promise that I would have an answer within 10 days. 10 days passed, I hadn’t heard anything…Was it bad news? Was my form lost? I hastily emailed the council and asked about the status of my application. Within an hour I had my response…
Hi Philippa,
Thanks for your email.
I do not recognise your name and you are not down as being on one of our Council run sites? Are you on one of our self-managed sites?
The allotment officer did inform that she received a shed application for Armley Ridge Road Allotments yesterday, however this should have gone to the Association, so she forwarded this on to them. Was this your form?
Regards
GAH! It was back with my association. I figured the best thing was to let them have a week or so before they decided, which seemed only fair.
A month passed.
I was becoming a tad impatient by this point. So i sent an ever so gently worded email explaining that I had submitted my application as instructed and was eagerly awaiting their response.
I had another problem…I’d bought a shed. It was on offer, I couldn’t help myself.
A week after emailing my AA, I had received no response, so I resent my last email, and CC’d it to another member of the comittee.
Another week passed…
If only I had a shed to hide in 🙂
I managed to find some free paving slabs on freecycle so with the help of a friend (I say help – he did all the work) we transported a stack of the ginormous beasts to the allotment and somehow managed to wheelbarrow them across to my plot. His face when he realised my plot was in the far corner was a picture. The man deserves a medal.
First slab in place
At this point, with everything in place except a shed I took matters into my own hands, I hadn’t had a single response from the folk in charge so I sent one more email, letting them know that as I hadn’t had any objections I would be erecting my shed the following weekend. Within 20 minutes I received an email telling me under no circumstances should I do so, and I was to wait until they’d had a meeting that week. Well, at least I’d had a response.
Thankfully, that day came and went, and I finally had permission to put the shed up. About bloody time. I called in the troops and with neighbouring plot holders watching on, we set to work. There were a lot of comments about how it would take three women about a week to put the shed up, and how we weren’t going to get anywhere without the correct power tools. I’m happy to report we proved them wrong. It took us about 4 hours, and doesn’t completely seem like it will fall over.
My lady helpers
Thank you to everybody involved, but most of all, thank you to the Allotment Association for your swift response in resolving this matter.
Bye for now
Pip
The Buttercup Allotment 