To join the waiting list you must fill in an application form and send it to us together with a stamped addressed envelope (SAE) (an envelope addressed to yourself with a new stamp stuck on it)
You can download the form using the link above, or you can come and get one at any of the AVAA events , or get one from any committee member or field rep.
Send it to: AVAA Waiting List, 19 Saxon Rd, St Werburghs, Bristol.
Your postion on the waiting list will date from when we recieve your SAE, if you do not enclose an SAE your application will be returned.
When we are ready to contact you we will put an invitation into the stamped addressed envelope and post it. You will then have 3 weeks to reply or you will lose the opportunity to join that round of plot letting, and you could lose your place on the list. We will make no further attempt to contact you. It is your responsibility to keep this address up to date, if you move you must send us a new SAE bearing your new address.
The waiting list currently stands at over 100 people (reduced from about 250 during 2011) and the wait for those at the end of the list is likely to be at least 18 months, possibly longer.
If you wish to take over a plot from a friend you must join the waiting list, when you get to the top we will make the changeover, no other arrangements will be accepted.
The waiting list & letting of plots is managed by a committee of volunteers and this system is designed to keep the workload manageable. In 2011 we made a concerted effort to reduce the waiting time and in the process found that over 100 of the names on our waiting list did not respond at all – this represented a considerable amount of wasted work in phoning, texting and emailing. This is why we have adopted the rather old fashioned seeming method of a stamped addressed envelope. Anyway when you do get a plot you must have a postal address because your annual invoice for rent will come by post.
There are a variety of allotment sizes available across the whole site and they are in a variety of conditions – we offer a 1st year discount for a plot in poor condition. Our site is mostly hilly, is mostly clay (you are likely to find fossils as it was a sea bed at some point in the distant past) and is not for the faint-hearted so please consider fully your time commitment to an allotment plot.
- The following policy is currently under review following recent very successful letting sessions *** “There may still be number of highly overgrown but potentially fertile plots which which do not seem to attract takers. Anyone, at any level of the waiting list, who might be interested in such a project is invited to contact us (contact link above). We are prepared to offer these plots on a trial basis whilst protecting your position on the waiting list should you change your mind after giving it a try. But be assured they will demand (and reward!) serious hard work & commitment. We will let you know what the position is after the round of plot letting in November 2011.”
There will be another similar event in spring 2012, when we anticipate further plots being available.
If you are on the list now would be a good time to think about how big a plot you would like to take on (how much time have you really got? – some sources suggest that about 10 hours a week is a reasonable minimum for an average plot), if you have any preferences over what part of the site you would like to be in, and if you’ve remembered to tell us about any change of address, phone or email.
General information
As part of the process described below we have found some national guidance on good practice in this area growing in the community and we are studying it with a view to conforming wherever we can. If you have any comments or observations we would be glad to hear them. (use the contact link above)
Focus on reducing the waiting list
At the beginning of the 2011 season our waiting list for plots stood at over 200 names, some of whom had been waiting for over 2 years. The committee is now taking every practicable step to clear or very significantly reduce this in the course of the coming two or 3 seasons.
We will not temporarily close the waiting list (the good practice guide advises against this)
We will soon be asking everyone on the waiting list to confirm that their contact address/phone is still active, and that they are still interested in taking a plot.
We have carried out an extensive survey & renumbering of plots to clarify boundaries & identify unused ground.
We have given notice to the holders of a number of uncultivated plots.
We have marked out a number of small starter beds, and are considering creating more.
We are splitting large, fertile plots into halves, thirds or quarters.
We are looking at ways of supporting fertility improvements in heavily eroded areas high on the valley sides – this will in time allow them to support more cultivated plots.
