Growing space

A history of the allotment movement

Lesley Acton, Five Leaves Publications, 280 pages, £14.99

There are currently over 300,000 allotment plots in the UK, with roughly 100,000 people on waiting lists.

Allotments are popular — and under threat. This accessible social history book looks at how changing economic, political and cultural conditions have affected the demand for plots.

In the 1970s, the nascent green movement, the oil crisis, the cost of fuel and the three- day week all combined to create a surge in demand for allotments. But between 1979 and 1997, an average of 9,400 plots per annum was lost.

The first decade of the 21st century has seen a big change in how we think about our food. The demand for urban agriculture has soared along with a drive to find new spaces and protect existing ones.

Battles between allotment users and property developers are becoming more common and more bitter, such as the fight in Watford around the Farm Terrace allotment site which the local council wants to close and replace with flats and a car park.

This study debunks the myth that the provision of allotments was solely a benign activity for the poor. Rather, it is a highly politicised history which reflects national and local policies on land use, with a constant struggle to hold onto these city fields and country gardens.

Reviews contributed by the Bookmarks socialist bookshop. Order online at www.bookmarksbookshop.co.uk